


Will of Iron

by Ludificor9



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Humor, Eventual Smut, M/M, Magic, Monsters, Mystery, Physical Abuse, Psychic Abilities, Supernatural Elements, Urban Fantasy, Violence, only slightly, wow this is such a cool tagging system
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2015-05-06
Packaged: 2018-02-22 00:47:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2488250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ludificor9/pseuds/Ludificor9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren was in an accident which left him with strange abilities, some scarier than others, but it seems like he isn't the only one. Now a group of strange seniors has their eye on him, dead people are reappearing around town like they never died and, oh, someone wants Eren to bite the dust. The only thing Eren has going for him is a maybe-reciprocated crush with a short, angry senior who may be just as strange and powerful as him. The only thing he knows now is that life is changing fast and surviving high school just got that much harder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Willfully Broken

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is my first snk fanfic so be kind! After this point all my notes will be at the end of the fic, so please look there. If you see any grammatical or spelling errors, I'm sorry I have no one to really look over this so it's only me, so if you see them please point them out so I can fix them! Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I'll be posting art for this maybe...And if that happens, I'll give out my tumblr, but till then... Onwards...

“Come on Eren it's like five miles!” Jean grinned, Eren backed up. 

“Man, you’re wasted! I'm not letting you drive us anywhere!” Eren argued, looking at Armin for back up. Armin was there, but he was wobbling he was so drunk. It was the first time Armin had been to one of these parties and he had obviously overdone it. Though Eren wondered how, since the boy had only one drink. 

Eren was normally the one to throw caution to the wind and start a fight or jump in the car, but tonight he saw just how drunk his friends were. 

Also, he had just finished his driving class and gotten his license a few months ago, and though people joked about the class being boring, it had really scared Eren to see how bad some of the crashes were.

“Don’t be a pussy!” Jean laughed and Eren snarled before grabbing the keys from his hands. 

“I’m gonna drive then!”

“No one drives my car but me, Jaeger!” Jean howled and Eren pulled the keys out of his grasp. 

“You’re drunk as hell, let me drive okay! Jesus Jean, look at yourself. You can’t walk straight!” Eren yelled back. 

“Please guys...” Mikasa said softly, holding Armin up. Eren growled and looked at Jean pointedly. 

“Fine killjoy!” Jean snapped. 

“You’re sixteen, Jean, act like it!” Snapped Eren, done with his friends shit. 

“Look buddy get use to me because it’s me and you for the next three years! After all, your sister and best friend are ditching you!” Jean snarked and Eren rolled his eyes. 

“Jean we are ditching them for public school! They want to stay at the magnet and that’s fine! Stop giving them shit!” Eren hissed. 

“It’s so unfair though, why did we get kicked out... The Seniors started it!” Jean whined. Eren rolled his eyes and pushed Jean into the car. 

“You have the whole summer to complain about it,” Eren rolled his eyes and made sure Armin’s seat belt was buckled in the back and Mikasa was situated. 

Eren jumped into the car and started it, backing out slowly in case any drunk, high school students decided that it was the moment to walk behind their car.

Eren flipped on the radio and settled on an old rock station and hummed along as he pulled out onto the frontage road. The whole area was wooded heavily though the city was only a 30 minute train ride away. The forest itself looked like sometime out of a Stephen King novel, that or something fairies lived in. 

Eren squinted at the road as Jean rambled on and on about their mutual expulsion from school for fighting. Though Jean was correct, the seniors decided it would be fun to pick on Armin and haze Jean, so Eren had answered like he always did, with his fists. He had always had a temper and people bullying others wasn’t something he would put up with. He delt with his father everyday after all. When he wasn’t away on business, he was smacking Eren around and frankly Eren didn’t want to put up with it at school nor did he want his friend to have to deal with it.

Though Eren still found it justified, the school had deemed it ‘unnecessary violence’ and had both of them expelled. Armin and Mikasa were allowed to stay of course, though with many suggestions to 'not hang around people like that anymore'. 

Eren would normally tell the teachers to shove that advice up their cake hole, maybe even- 

Eren was jerked from his reverie by Mikasa screaming, “Eren!”

Eren focused only to see a car come barreling out of it’s lane and into theirs, Eren swore and jerked the wheel. The car swerved then did a half spin before flipping down the embankment. The crashing sound was deafening and Eren winced as everything spun.

The motion of the car was enormous and Eren felt like a rag doll in a washing machine, he could hear Armin’s yell and Jeans horrified squeal, which would have been funny in any other situation. Eren tried to keep himself from slamming around but to no avail as his head smashed into the side window, glass shattering and making his vision swirl. 

Then the motion stopped, Eren was disoriented and the only sound was the ticking of the car and low moans. The car was resting upside down in the embankment. Blood dripped from his temple as he groaned and tried to get his bearings. 

“Is everyone okay?” Mikasa called, unclipping her seatbelt and falling onto her shoulder with a painful thud. 

“Y-yeah...” Armin said quietly, the drunk-ness apparently scared right out of him. He slowly unbuckled and let himself drop to the roof of the car. Jean had already done the same, the glass digging into the knees of his jeans.

“Holy fuck!” Jean gasped. 

There was a pause and then, “Eren?!” Mikasa called and Eren tried to open his mouth, but his entire face was numb and he couldn’t really move his head. 

“Oh my god Eren!” Mikasa yelled and looked around the seat. 

Eren was conscious, but barely. His vision wouldn’t focus and he was sure his mouth wasn’t suppose to feel like that.

“Eren talk to me!” Mikasa shouted and Eren groaned, his tongue seemingly not working all that well, his disoriented brain not being able to control most of his fine motor functions.

“Oh my god, okay Armin get out of the car and call the police. Tell them to send an EMS,” Mikasa ordered and crawled out the window next to her so she could get to Eren’s window. 

Her face fell when she saw the state he was in and Eren could make out a repressed gag. 

'So it’s that bad then... Fuck,' Eren thought.

“Okay Eren we can’t move you until the EMS get here, Armin is calling them!” Mikasa yelled and suddenly Jean was by her side.

“Mikasa what’s- Oh god!” Jean said and looked away when he saw Eren. 

“Yes, hello! We’ve been in an accident! Eren, oh god, Eren...I- He’s trapped... He was the driver. Someone forced us out of our lane! By the bend on Westwood Terrace Drive, please hurry!” Armin’s voice carried and Eren tried to look to his friend but couldn’t. 

“Eren don’t move!” Mikasa cried, tears streaming down her cut up face, small nicks and a bruise spreading on one cheek, but whole. 

Eren breathed a sigh of relief that they were all alright, even though he was crushed awkwardly upside down and against the broken wall of his car. 

“They’ll be here soon!” Armin said, falling to his knees next to the window and Eren hummed. 

“Just don’t move! Please don’t move!” Mikasa cried and grabbed Erens arm that was hanging, knuckles brushing the roof of the car, swaying slightly. 

“Oh man, oh man... his face!” Jean hissed under his breath and leaned against the car. 

“Sti..still look’s better than yours...Seabiscuit,” Eren managed to mumble, his tongue finally working. 

“Oh Eren don’t talk,” Mikasa cried. 

“There are lights up there!” Armin yelled, pointing at the gap where the car had smashed the railing and bushes. 

“Hello!” Called a strangers voice and Jean stood,

“We’re down here!” 

The man slid down the embankment with a bag and looked at the crash with a trained practical eye. 

“We need people down here now!” The man yelled and ran over to the car, he looked at Jean who pointed at the window. 

“We're fine, but Eren, he’s stuck we think, we didn’t want to move him...” Jean trailed off looking to the side. 

The paramedic knelt down by the side of the car and Armin pulled Mikasa out of the way. He breathed in sharply at the state of Eren. 

“Hi Eren, I’m here to help. Can you hear me?” 

“Yes,” Eren said, his voice muffled. 

“Does anything hurt,”

“No, I don’t... fe- feel pain, but I do feel all my limbs, I think I may be in shock,” Eren answered, trying to be eloquent dispute his condition. The paramedic nodded and bent into to examine the situation. 

Eren was still held in place by the steering wheel and his seat belt, the belt was bearing most of his weight. 

“Okay Eren, can you try to unbuckle yourself?” The medic asked and Eren nodded. His fingers twitched as he reached up, feeling along the belt and pressing on the release, it moved in but it didn’t click out. The jerking motion of the car and many flips must have jammed the belt stuck.

Eren’s face began to feel hot when he tried to move again to unbuckle himself and he felt liquid dripping from his mouth. 

“I... Can’t,” He finally hissed and his arms fell limp to the roof. 

“Oh Eren!” Mikasa said and another paramedic who had just come down the hill with an emergency bag held her back as she tried to rush forward.

Eren felt his breath becoming harder to push past his lips and his head felt strange, spinning and floating.

Suddenly everything began to go dark and Eren felt weightless, his eyes were closing and before they shut he saw a boy standing by the side of the road, up by where the path down the embankment started. 

He looked about as old as Eren, but short in stature. He was looking down at the scene and Eren locked eyes with him, or half way to locking eyes. The boy didn’t see him past the medic but Eren could see the boy, steel grey eyes with dark kohl, they seemed focused on something past the wreck. With a grimace Eren pulled himself back and flashed his eyes up to the seat buckle.  
Then the boy was gone, like he was a mirage in the desert. 

'This is why I’m going to bleed out, a fucking seatbelt? No, not after mom, not after all that, and certainly not before I’ve had my first legal drink!'

Eren felt a rage take hold of him and he focused that into a single glare, all his will, all his stubburness focused into a single thought. 

'Break!'

With a sudden retort the buckle was crushed and snapped open, letting Eren drop to the roof with a crash. 

“Eren!” Jean and Mikasa screamed, while Armin just gasped. 

Eren simply smiled blankly. Come hell or high water, his stubborn will would always get him out of the situation. 

With a sigh he closed his eyes, and hoped that he had done enough to be able to open them again.


	2. Tall, Dark and Handsome? More like Short, Dark and Scary...

Erenrolled onto his back and looked at his hands. The first day of school would be interesting, he was sure. With a groan he got up and walked over to his closet, pulling out a soft long sleeved blue shirt and dark washed jeans. He looked into the mirror as he stripped and didn’t cringe. 

 

He had been working all summer to not flinch when he saw himself, the scars were healing nicely, faster then they should have. A crushed sternum, five broken ribs and a shattered skull had been something that not everyone recovers from. 

 

The scars along his ribs were long and running along his torso like tiger strips, a star shaped scar between his clavicles and the scarring around his face. The small lines radiating out from the muscles around his eyes, they weren’t too noticeable unless you stared.

 

The scars had made him turn away in disgust at first, but now he realized that because of this body he was living and not dead and therefore he should accept it for what it was; strong and durable, able to withstand two tons of metal and three months of recovery, that should have been six months.

 

“Eren, get your ass down stairs!” Grisha yelled up to Eren and he winced, the man sounded like he was in one of his moods. 

 

Grisha liked to get drunk and knock Eren around, never too bad, a smack here, a swear there, the worst it had ever been was a concussion and broken fingers when Eren was eleven. 

 

The rage had lessened since the accident but recently it started to pick up again and that made Eren wary, he didn’t want to have to go back to the hospital, especially not for something like this. 

 

With a sigh Eren whipped on the rest of his clothes and grabbed his bag, throwing it to the top of the stairs, he rushed into the bathroom and scrubbed his teeth before running a brush through his hair. 

 

“Eren I said get your lazy ass down here!” 

 

“I’m here!” Eren yelled, coming into the kitchen where his father looked at him with bleary eyes, he looked nothing like Eren, which was a relief to the boy. Eren had gotten his hair from his mother and his eyes from some unknown source that had decided to be kind to him. 

 

“I’m gonna be leaving for two weeks, I think you can take care of yourself by now... Don’t call.”

 

Eren watched as his father grabbed his medical bags and walked out the door, eyes never straying from his back. 

 

The door clicked shut and Eren turned away.

 

“Okay, bye, love you too! You insufferable asshat...” Eren snarled before rummaging around for his toaster strudels and popping them into the half broken silver appliance. 

 

While he was doing this his phone began to ring, Eren rolled his eyes and picked up the phone putting it to his ear and saying, 

 

“Satan and Co., what the hell do you want?” Eren rattled off, and he heard a deep sigh. 

 

“Eren you have to stop doing that, one day someone important is going to call and your are going to answer the phone as Satan...”

 

“Only if it’s a Monday Mikasa,” Eren laughed and he practically heard her smile through the phone. 

 

“Are you ready for school?”

 

“Yep, I’m glad I’m not in those stuffy dorms anymore, freedom is a wonderful thing!”

 

“Is Grisha still there?” She asked, voice taking on a hard edge. 

 

“No, he’s gone for two weeks, I’m all by my lonesome,” Eren chuckled and pulled up his sugary breakfast treat. 

 

“Well, okay, just don’t antagonize him and get to school on time for once in your life.”

 

“Yes, light of my life, I’m going!” Eren cried and clicked the off button. 

 

The trip to school was relatively short, the small passageways and alleys lending to how fast someone could travel between places. Eren smiled and threw down his skateboard, pushing off with his foot and speeding down the alleys. 

 

The old board had been a gift from Armin when he was younger and the thing hadn’t failed him yet. The wheels had been replaced recently with neon blue ones and the bottom of the board had the same slathering of stickers it always had. 

 

Within a few minutes Eren had arrived at the school and popped his board into his hands.

 

It was a large school with almost 6000 kids, the facilities were good despite it being a public school and the football and wrestling team were renowned.

 

“Yo, Eren!” Someone called out and Eren looked up to see Jean was weaving his way through the crowd gathered in front of the school building. 

 

“Jean!” Eren smiled and walked over, the other boy was fashionably dressed in acid washed jeans, a green button down shirt and his pale grey chucks on. 

 

“Dude, you need to brush your hair out more. You look like someone dropped you in the washing machine and hit spin cycle,” Jean commented, grabbing Eren’s board as the boy struggled to get his bag to sit correctly. 

 

“Yeah, well hair can be fixed, horsefaces are forever...” 

 

Eren yelped as Jean smacked him on the back of his head and grinned. 

 

“So what do you have?” Jean asked and Eren pulled a face before looking at his schedule.

 

“English II,World History, Chem, Lunch, Geometry, PE then an open space that I can use for club practice.”

 

“What are you thinking of joining?”

 

“The MMA club maybe, I’ve got my black belt in Karate so I thought I might as well, plus I hear it’s a cool club... if a bit crazy.”

 

“Yeah, man but normally it’s only seniors who are in that club,” Jean said, and Eren grimaced.

 

“I’m going to see if they do tryouts. I’m sure I’m good enough, plus I’m sixteen, so the age limit shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

Jean nodded and handed Eren’s skateboard back after they had walked into the building. 

 

“Well our classes don’t match up but our lunches do, so I’ll see you then,” Jean waved and rushed off, looking to see where his locker was exactly. 

 

Eren sighed and plodded up the stairs, pulling out a hat from his backpack and shoving the green and blue beanie over his hair. He wasn’t going to let Jean know he was right but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to fix the fact his hair was, in fact, fucked up. 

 

When Eren finally got to his locker, he groaned, it was one of the old blue ones, the paint peeling, the hinges rusted and the entire thing looking like it would fall off the wall. Because he had registered so late he had been placed up at the top floor, reserved for seniors, people who needed to use the elevator and, apparently, kids who didn’t register promptly. 

 

With a sigh Eren dropped his bag and skateboard and reached for the locker. He went to twist the lock and the wheel stuck. 

 

“Are you fucking with me?” Eren hissed and looked at the thing, it seemed to stare back at him with passively destructive intent, even though it was an inanimate object. 

 

“God damn it! Turn!” Eren hissed and put all his weight into trying to twist the damn number code wheel, with a sudden motion his hand slipped and skidded across the metal surface of the locker. Eren yelped in pain as the meaty part of his palm was sliced open by one of the lockers sharp edges, blood dripped out and Eren blinked. He had tried to have a really good day but no, this god damn locker wouldn’t fucking let him. 

 

With rage Eren flashed a glare at the locker and suddenly, bang, it was smashed open from the inside. The metal was twisted at the edges and Eren blinked in distress. 

 

_What the fuck?_

 

Eren reached out and touched the broken door when the locker next to him began to rattle, and the one below him. 

 

_Not this shit again..._

 

Suddenly most of the lockers were vibrating and Eren had backed away before grabbing his bag and tearing off down the hall. 

 

_You’re not going insane, that was the wind, a magnetic field, aliens escaping from area 61. That wasn’t you, that power was not you, don’t even think about it Jaeger!_

 

Eren’s thoughts were a blurred jumble as he held his hand close to his chest and walked down the hall, keeping his head down and eyes focused on the linoleum.

 

“Whoa, watch out-” Came a voice from in front of him and Eren looked up only to feel himself pitch in a tilt and falling. Apparently the stairs were closer then he thought, with a yowl Eren tumbled down, grabbing at the nearest thing to stop himself. 

 

With a wrench and a clasp on something that felt like fabric, he came to a jolting stop. With a look at his hand he realized he was clutching the end of shorts that now resided around someone ankles. 

 

Eren looked up to see a boy with dark hair, dark freckles and cheeks stained red with a blush that was so profound he thought the kid might pass out. 

 

While Eren had managed to stop his fall, in the process he had also managed to grab the boys shorts and rip them off. 

 

_Talk about thirsty Eren fucking Jaeger..._

 

Eren though and he yelped and jerked his hand away. 

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Eren said, standing and averting his eyes as the boy pulled his pants back on. 

 

“No, it..it’s fine! Are you okay?” The dark haired boy asked and Eren nodded, ignoring the pain in his back and legs. 

 

“Totally fine, oh my god I’m so sorry that happe ned!”

 

“It’s  really okay! You were almost hurt. I’m glad it’s just my pride that’s bruised,” The boy smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. 

 

_‘This boy is freckled Jesus,’_ Eren thought. 

 

“You looked kind of upset, are you sure you’re okay?” The kid asked again and Eren smiled. 

 

“Yeah, I’m find. I just cut my hand on my locker so...” Eren looked down and blanched.

 

His hand was smooth... no cut, no bleeding. The slice that had been there only a few minutes before was gone, like a tape being rewound there was nothing left of it. 

 

“Um, I’m mean I smashed my hand, not cut... Sorry, the fall must have done more to my head than I thought,” Eren forced a smile and stuck out his hand. 

 

“I’m Eren by the way, I’m sorry for falling on you!” 

 

“Oh it’s seriously okay,” The boy affirmed and took his hand, “I’m Marco Bott. I’m glad I could be of assistance in your head first tumble.”

 

Eren tried to smile but his head was whirring with ideas and on the verge of a collapse, with a quick goodbye Eren turned and walked down the rest of the stairs and made a beeline for the nearest bathroom.

 

He walked in and shut the door, slinging his bag into a corner he walked to a sink and turned on the water. He leaned down, splashing some on his face and resting his hands on the rim to support himself. 

 

“What the actual fuck was that?” Eren asked himself and looked into the mirror, his reflection stared back at him, almost mocking in its normalcy. He squinted, hoping to see some change, a forked tongue or horns maybe. But no, the reflection stayed the same wide eye teen with damp, messy hair. 

 

During rehab a few minor things like that had happened, a door smashing open, a table rattling, vases falling over but never that bad. Never that strong.

 

Eren rubbed his eyes and turned away, he would pretend this didn’t happen and go on with his life. 

 

It was stress, that was all it was, stress and with no outlet it left him seeing things. 

 

Eren nodded, grabbed his bag and walked out of the bathroom, resolved not to let this ruin his day. He would forget about the power and act like the normal teenager he wanted to be.

 

* * *

 

 

The day passed quickly, the teachers seemed relatively nice and the kids were welcoming enough. He had met a bunch of people with strange characters. 

 

A girl named Sasha would not stop eating during english and her would-be boyfriend Connie would not stop cracking jokes. Marco was in his Chemistry class and decided to sit next to him despite the accidental molestation of earlier. 

 

Lunch came around and Eren was happy to be free, with a big breath he stood from his seat and stretched. 

 

“So how is your day going to far?” Marco asked, gathering his books and smiling. 

 

“So-so, I mean I’ve almost fallen down the stairs, stripped someone, had a mental breakdown in the bathroom, broken my locker and hurt myself multiple times.”

 

“Well, I mean... What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?” Marco laughing wanly. And Eren put on his best ‘angry face’, “Naw, what doesn’t kill me had better start running because I’m fucking pissed!”

 

Marco bursted out laughing and Eren allowed his face to relax and chuckled too. 

 

They were both walking to lunch, chatting with each other when suddenly Marco stiffened and stopped. 

 

“Dude?” Eren asked, looking to see what had made him freeze. 

 

“What’s Reiner doing here?” Marco asked weakly and Eren looked up to see a burly boy walking towards them.

 

He had short blond hair, with a letterman’s jacket and hard, almost cruel eyes. 

 

“Oh is this gonna be a cliché,” Eren mumbled. 

 

“Bott, why haven’t you tried out for the team this year?” The kid called and Marco flinched. 

 

“I have.., too many classes,” Marco stumbled over his words and Eren raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Really, cuz’ last year it was fine. I mean, I thought maybe after the locker incident you wouldn’t want to come back but I hope that’s not it,” Reiner said, now within spitting distance.

 

“No, I really... just...” Marco trailed off.

 

“Or maybe it’s because everyone knows your a fucking homo,” Reiner hissed suddenly dropping his friendly exterior and Marco flinched, eyes flashing to Eren who blinked.  

 

_Oh this isn’t okay..._

 

“Actually, I think Marco probably didn’t want to put up with douche nozzles like you,” Eren grinned, happily saying the line like he was delivering girl scout cookies.

 

The boy spun to Eren, eyes focusing and Eren gave another bright smile. Eren knew what was coming next, he could feel it in his bones and he just waited. 

 

“So what, this your new boyfriend?” Reiner smirked and Eren threw up his hands.

 

“There it is, ladies and gentlemen, the insult that brings me to my knees, I defended a nice person, so therefore I must be homosexual,” Eren looked at his hands, “How did I not know, I’m gonna have to tell my sister... and my dad, oh deary me I hope I’ll be accepted!”

 

Marco was gaping at the sarcastic boy, Reiner was staring at him and now there was quite a crowd looking on. 

 

“So you are fucking gay,” 

 

“And you’re what? Sad? annoying? Look dude,If you don't tell anyone that I have a wooden dick then I wont tell anyone that you have splinters in your mouth,” Eren leaned in and smiled. Marco choked, Reiner got red in the face and was about to say something when a voice called out, 

 

“Eren making friends?” 

 

“Oh honey, there you are!” Eren said to Jean, who raised an eyebrow but smiled and went along. 

 

“Yeah, hope you didn’t miss me too much.”

 

“Oh, I did, this fine young man was inquiring to my sexual orientation,” Eren smiled and Jean smirked and winked at Eren. 

 

“Are you sure you want to talk about this at school?” Jean mock whispered and walked up to Reiner and ran a hand down his arm, 

 

“Though I see potential, Eren and I may just want to make you ours, what are you doing Friday night?”

 

Reiner recoiled like he had been burned and walked away as fast as possible, with a few choice curse words over his shoulder.

 

“Not us apparently!” Eren grinned and fist bumped Jean.

 

“It’s been so long since we pulled the gay routine,” Jean laughed and Eren nodded. Jean and him may not have been friends for his whole life, but they were thick as thieves now. You backed up your friend no matter what. 

 

“So, you guys know each other?” Marco asked and Jean focused on the boy. Jean blinked once, then twice and nodded mutely. 

 

“Yeah, we were kicked out of private boarding school together,” Eren supplied and walked into the cafeteria. 

 

“Wow really?”

 

“Yep!” Eren smiled and grabbed an apple juice off the shelf and a bag of chips. 

 

“How?” Marco stuttered, he was obviously trying to avoid what had just happened and Eren wasn’t going to push him. 

 

“Well some seniors started being asses to Jean and one threw a punch and I just happened to be there to kick him in the face. It devolved from that until two people needed stitches and we were expelled for our ‘violent behavior’. Jean’s still pretty pissed about it.”

 

“Damn straight!” Jean hissed walking to a table and letting his tray clatter down. 

 

“Wow, you guys have gotten into fights... I mean I’ve seen it before but only when people from the SC are involved.”

 

“SC?” Eren asked, looking up from his chips at Marco. 

 

“Yeah, the Survey Corps, it’s like a pseudo gang, this guy called Erwin leads it but he’s like a straight A student and handsome and so it’s really kind of a misrepresentation from him. But basically they are like the schools Martial Arts slash detective club. If you put in a request they might help with your problem,” Marco explained and Eren groaned.

 

“Sucks that the MMA thing is out dude,” Jean chuckled and slapped Eren on the back. 

 

“You take MMA?” Marco asked and Eren nodded. 

 

“Maybe you should ask for an application, they are always looking for new members but everyone is kind of scared to join them.”

 

“Why?” Eren asked. 

 

“Well, for one the gang aspect, and two, they have some pretty crazy people in the group.” 

 

“For example?” Eren motioned for Marco to go on. 

 

“Well, they are mostly seniors, there’s Hanji, who’s a crazy science girl who asks to examine people all the time, then theres Mike, this kid who’s like a blood hound, and Erwin is, of course, a brilliant manipulator and well then there’s Corporal...”

 

“Who?” Eren asked. 

 

“Everyone calls him the Corporal but his real name is Levi and... He’s the scariest one of all...”

 

“He sounds like a stripper...” Eren said and Jean snorted milk out of his nose and tried to whip up his face with a napkin. Marco gaped and Eren smiled. 

 

“Like you know, those strippers who choose military names, Captain, Corporal, Ma’am, Chief... stuff like that. Does he carry a riding crop because if so...” Eren laughed as Jean tried to breath through the napkin he was currently smothering himself with trying not to laugh. 

 

“Guys, he’s really scary, no joke,” Marco reiterated and Eren looked at Marco before leaning against Jean’s shoulder and moaning out, 

 

“Oh, yeah, oh yeah, fuck me harder Corporal... Yeah...ahh.” The voice was almost orgasmic in nature and Jean lost his fucking shit. He was laughing so hard tears ran down his face and Marco just looked slightly horrified at how Eren actually managed to sound like he was having sex at the lunch table. 

 

“See, stripper name...” Eren explained.

 

“Oh my god, help...” Jean cried, his chest heaving with the force of his laughs.

“Guys...there he is!” Marco hissed and everyone sobered up, and Eren looked behind him and squinted. 

 

“Where Marco,” He said loudly and Marco tried to shush him. 

 

“Right there! By the door,” Marco hissed and Eren raised an eyebrow. 

 

“What behind the short goth kid?”

 

The short kids head snapped around and focused in on Eren like a heat seeking missile. Marco went white as a sheet and Jean sucked in a breath, 

 

“Dude, I think it is the short goth kid...” Jean whispered and Eren blinked once. 

 

“Oh I have got to meet this guy.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Eren don't... So yeah this is kinda a cliffy, but it was getting too long. Umm I actually really like Reiner, Annie and Bert, but in this fic I needed some antagonists so bam... Yeah... umm if there are any spelling errors or anything like that, tell me and i'll fix them... and yeah hope you enjoy.


	3. It Was a Calculated Risk ... But I’m Bad at Math

Eren was walking home with a small skip in his step the day had gone well despite the cafeteria fiasco. He thought back and began to chuckle again.

 

* * *

 

“Don’t do it!” Marco had hissed and tried to grab Eren’s sleeve as he stood. 

 

“Why not?”

 

“He will end you...” Marco whispered and Eren looked back at the boy with a critical eye.  He had dark hair cut into an undercut with ears full of piercings and two snake bites. His eyes seemed to be set in a glare and they were a cloudy gray, like the sea reflecting a storm. He seemed to be pulling off the laid back goth trend, as his ripped dark blue jeans and deep grey loose tank that said ‘Fuck Me Hard’ in pink cursive. The leather jacket under one arm and steel toed boots completed the look. 

 

“He doesn’t look so bad, I want to know why people call him Corporal...” Eren said, frowning when Marco grew even paler.

 

“You don’t just talk to Levi... It’s not done!”

 

“Eren could take him,” Jean waved off Marco’s concern and Eren raised his hands in mock defeat. 

 

“Naw, It’s okay. I trust my man Marco.”

 

That had really been the end of it. Marco had relaxed and the boy, Levi, grabbed a soda before shooting the room a glare and walking out. 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren whistled to himself as dropped his skateboard down and made to skate off. When a voice from behind him made him stop,

 

“Hey you!” 

 

Eren blinked and turned, making sure the comment was, in fact, directed at him. A girl was running up. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and glasses glinted on her face. 

 

“Yes?” Eren said, popping his board up. 

 

“Are you Eren Jaeger?”

 

“Yes, why?”

 

“You’re on the top floor of lockers, do you know what happened up there?” She said, whipping out a notepad and looking at him with an intrigued expression. 

 

Eren’s blood ran cold and he shook his head, eyes growing wide. 

 

“No... What happened?”

 

“Well some of the lockers were broken and twisted from the inside out! Everyone is saying it’s a prank but I know the truth,” The girl smiled and pushed up her glasses as Eren gulped.

 

“Which is?”

 

“It was a ghost!” She crowed and Eren did a double take, he looked her up and down tomake sure she wasn’t playing at anything and then nodded slowly, 

 

“Okay?”

 

“People don’t believe me, but the original school building was built over 200 years ago. They renovated and fixed things obviously, but that doesn’t mean the people who died there left,” The girl grinned manically and Eren nodded again. 

 

“So what happened to your face?” She suddenly asked and Eren gaped at her, she was close enough to see the scars and normally people avoided mentioning them but apparently she had no such qualms. 

 

“Car accident,” Eren explained and she nodded sagely. 

 

“I remember, Eren Jaeger, 16, put through a car window the past summer.”

 

“Yeah, um, who are you?” Eren asked, trying to back away slowly. 

 

“Hanji Zoe, but people call me Hanji, or crazy, depending,” She smiled and Eren went pale. 

 

“You are with those gang people!” 

 

Hanji blinked behind her glasses and then began to laugh, she leaned over and whipped her eyes behind her glasses. 

 

“Is that what people are calling us now?” She chuckled and Eren tried to smile but it came out as more of a ‘oh god help she’s insane’ look.

 

“Well, I’ll let you go! Thanks for your help Eren!” She smiled and walked off, and Eren blinked before shouldering his bag and slapping down his board again. 

 

“People here are insane...”

 

* * *

 

 

Eren flopped onto the couch and leaned back into the pillows. Since he was alone and didn’t have to fear his father walking it and slapping him around. He snuggled into the couch and turned on the T.V. 

 

Eren liked relaxing in the living room, it was bigger than his room and had windows along the street so he could watch the cars pass outside. It was calming and made his already drowsy state become that much worse. 

 

With a jarring noise, his phone buzzed and Eren jolted up. He scrambled to grab it and clicked on to the call. 

 

“Hello?” Eren mumbled.

 

“Eren. How was your day?” Mikasa voice came through the phone and Eren rubbed his eyes and yawned.

 

“It was good, I laid the smack down on a bully, made some strange friends, was encouraged to join a gang, you know normal high school things.”

 

“Please don’t do anything stupid Eren, please...”

 

“I’m not, I won’t!” Eren hissed and stood, walking into the kitchen and pulling a frozen pizza from the freezer. 

 

“Armin says you aren’t responding to his texts.”

 

“Because Armin texts me fifty times with gifs and pictures and text posts and I cannot answers fifty five text messages.” 

 

Eren pushed the freezer door closed with his hip and tossed the pizza on the counter. 

 

“Well try, I am tired of hearing about it,” Mikasa said and huffed her goodbyes before hanging up for the night. 

 

“What a lovely, sociable sister I have,” Eren groused and pulled a knife from the cabinet to slice open the pizza box. 

 

His hands deftly flipped the box to it’s front and went to stab in the knife when the phone rang again. Eren flashed a look at the screen and in that moment his hand slipped and he felt a knife dig into his flesh. 

 

“Fuck!” Eren yelled as he dropped the knife and looked at his left hand. He had slashed from the first finger across to the pinkie and it was profusely bleeding. With a dash he grabbed a towel with his damaged hand and picked up the phone. 

 

“Hello?” Eren hissed, his voice clouded by pain. 

 

“Dude, you okay?” Jean said, his voice gone from jovial to worried in the span of three words.

 

“I... I’m fine, I just smashed my hand in a drawer. What’s up?” Eren lied, clenching his hand tighter as blood pooled onto the counter. 

 

“Ouch. So there’s this back to school party on friday,” Jean continued. 

 

“So?”

 

“So guess who got us new kids invited?”

 

“A horse?”

 

“Ha-Ha, fuck you Jaeger. Come on, I know you don’t love parties after what happened, but I swear we’ll be on the road before midnight and I promise not to drink.”

 

Eren smiled despite the pain in his hand. Jean had always been the partier of the trio, he had got the beer, vodka or restricted substances everyone else needed. And that he was promising not to drink, one of the main things he went to parties for, really showed how much he cared. 

 

“I’ll go.”

 

“Right on! We need to get you some new threads dude before though, because man you look rag-tag as fuck. Not that you don’t pull off the homeless look. You do, but there will be hot men at this party, hot senior men.”

 

Eren blinked and clenched his hand harder in the clothe, Jean knew about his tendency for men and had never really given him shit for it. 

 

Reiner was technically right when he called Eren a homo.

 

Jean on the other hand, didn’t seem to care, he just went along with anything. 

 

“Okay, Okay, you got me on the hook. Now let me go so I can finish my pizza in peace,” Eren said and hung up. He wasn't trying to be rude but he was really bleeding all over the place. 

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He swore and strained to reach the paper towels. 

 

With a sudden shiver down his arm the paper towels shot across the table and smacked into Eren’s hand like pulled by a string. 

 

Eren gaped, looking at his good hand now clutching a roll of paper towels. 

 

“Holy fuck!” He screamed and dropped the roll and backed away, only to look at his other hand to see steam rising from it, as the wound seemed to close itself. 

 

“Oh Jesus on a fishstick...” 

 

Eren was trying to breath, but suddenly he felt like a vice was closing on his chest and he grabbed his phone and clicked call. 

 

“Hello this is Armin spea-”

 

“Armin I have superpowers!”

 

“Eren?” Armin asked, his voice sounding confused. 

 

“Have. Super. Powers.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“Get over here now!” 

 

“Eren, I’m at my grandfathers place,” He hissed into the phone. 

 

“I don’t care if you are at your grandfathers house or a strip club, just get over here and do _not_ call Mikasa!”

 

“Okay fine, I’ll be there in ten,” Armin said, his voice now clouded with worry. 

 

Eren hung up and started pacing. His mind whirled in circles and his hands shook. 

 

“Okay Jaeger, what could this be? Did you go on any field trips and get bitten, did you actually come from a doomed planet, did anyone you know change their name to Cullen recently?”

 

Eren continued to pace and mumble until he saw lights pull into his driveway and went to the door. 

 

Armin pushed the door open without knocking, knowing he was always welcome. And stopped. 

 

“Oh my god Eren, what happened?”

 

“I’m A MUTANT!” Eren cried, and collapsed to the floor, “Professor X is coming for me. I can’t change schools aga

in!”

 

“Eren

calm down, you’re covered in blood. Where are you hurt?” Armin ran over and kneeled next to his friend. Armin had recently let his hair grow out from it’s god awful bowl cut and had it clipped in a half up, half down style. His fingers fluttered worriedly over Eren’s body, checking the wrists quickly. 

 

Eren didn’t have the best home life and after the accident Armin had really began to worry about his mental health. Eren took it like a champ but no one could be truly okay after that, Armin thought everyone had moved on too fast.

 

And now here Eren was, having a breakdown and thinking he had superpowers while covered in blood. 

 

Then a horrifying thought struck Armin.

 

“Eren is this your blood?” Armin asked, wondering if Eren had hurt anyone. There was no doubt in the blond boys mind that Eren could kill someone if he wanted to. 

 

“Yes! I’m no longer human. Oh god!” Eren screamed and sunk lower to the ground, burrowing his head into Armin’s chest. 

 

“Look Eren, you aren’t hurt and that means this is someone else’s blood. Look if we have to dump a body I know where we can get the stuff-”

 

Armin was cut off as Eren stood and walked back into the kitchen.

 

“Eren?” Armin called and shrieked when Eren walked back into the room with a knife. 

 

“Oh my god, Eren!” He screamed and Eren looked at him before slashing is palm wide open.

 

Armin screamed again and ran and grabbed the knife. Pulling the bloody thing away fromEren, Armin stumbled back. He flung the knife into a corner and pulled out his phone with shaking hands. 

 

“We have to call Mikasa!”

 

_Don_ “ _’t!_ ” Eren hissed and the phone was whipped out of Armin’s hand like a sling shot. It flew and smashed against a wall and Eren blinked and Armin stared in horror and surprise. 

 

Armin flashed his eyes to Eren and gasped as the wound on the brunets hand began to heal. It smoked and hissed as the skin closed over, leaving only a faint scar. 

 

“Eren...” Armin whispered and Eren looked at him. 

 

“I’m super fucked Armin...”

 

Eren stared at the cup of hot chocolate in his hands, he didn’t understand why this was happening. 

 

“Eren. It’s okay we can figure this out...” Armin said from next to him on the couch. 

 

“How Armin? What is this? What am I?” Eren muttered and looked into the dark color as if the drink could tell him something. All it said now was that he couldn’t handle caffeine at night and he was sad. 

 

“It’s actually not uncommon for people after major brain trauma to develop strange disorders that mimic powers. There are rare cases of people being able to believe they could see the future, develop Synthesia, calculate huge numbers in there head... one man could even move a pencil with his mind... he could have been using a trick but he was never disproven. Eren brains are really amazing things and we only consciously control about 15% at most. Maybe you’ve unlocked a deeper human power. Maybe you’re just more evolved due to your brain healing differently.”

 

Eren stared at his friend, with a warmth growing in his chest. Eren had a lot of tragedy in his life, his mother dying, Mikasa parents being kill, his father becoming abusive, an almost fatal car crash, and none of this had stopped him from living his life like he wanted. None of this had ever made him want to give up. No one was dead, no one was hurt apart from him. He should consider himself lucky. 

 

“You’re right Armin...” Eren said and Armin smiled,

 

“As always!”

 

“Um...Are we gonna ignore the fact that you offered to hide a body for me?”

 

“I’m your best friend.”

 

“But-”

 

“Shhh, I’m your best friend.”

 

“Okay...”  

 

* * *

 

 

“Dude you looked like someone ran you over then backed up. What happened?” Jean asked, walking from school. It was Thursday and Eren deemed he had missed enough school.  

 

Eren had decided to go, despite Armin’s protestations. Not that Eren liked Sina high, but he wanted to start off with a little bit of a good record. 

 

“I have a migraine,” Eren explain, which wasn’t technically a lie. He had a horrible headache that had turned into a migraine somewhere around 3:00 am and would not leave him be.

 

“Okay dude. Do you want to do this some other time? You were sick for like three days and I don’t want to push you. I mean what if you faint, with your weak constitution.”

 

“Your so funny Jean, my sides are splitting, is the rodeo here all week so I can come see you again?”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

“You have, we decided to never do it again.”

 

“Screw yo-fuck...”

 

“Same applies genius,” Eren laughed and hooked an arm around Jean’s shoulders. They had fooled around once Freshmen year, and decided that it was _way_ too much like fucking a brother, which creeped them both out. 

 

Close friends is all they would ever be and both decided they were more then okay with that.

 

“So this parties at this abandoned house-”

 

“Excuse me? We are trespassing which is illegal, to drink booze illegally without our parents permission?”

 

“When you say it like that.”

 

“Jean, do you want to be grounded for eternity?”

 

“Look it’s within walking distance from my place and like two miles from yours, we don’t need to get in a car, but I will be driving there, and we can drink all we want. The guy hosting is like some crazy senior, it will be fine,” Jean waved a hand and walked to his car.

 

“‘Drink all we want’, ‘Crazy senior’ and ‘It will be fine’ do not belong in the same sentence Jean.”

 

“The house is supposedly haunted,” Jean continued like Eren had said nothing, “Like the people go there for the music and alcohol but also to see ghosts and some say that gangs use it as hide outs.”

 

“Jean...”

 

“Like what if we see a real live ghost!”

 

“Ghosts are dead so ‘live’ wouldn’t really apply...”

 

“Oh screw you Jaeger!”

 

Eren chuckled and tried to put his mind at ease. His nerves were jumping all over the place, what if his power decided to do something weird and he was locked up, or hurt Jean. He clenched his fists. 

 

No. 

 

He would never hurt Jean, unless Jean really deserved it, like when he had shaved Eren’s eyebrows off, he deserved that split lip so much.

 

“Now shopping!”

 

* * *

 

 

“Jean why are we going to thing thing again?” Eren asked as he adjusted his shirt. Jean smiled and stood back from the mirror he was looking in. 

 

“Because we are new kids, and therefore, we are low on the totem pole of coolness, we must climb that pole by attending parties and being generally awesome,” Jean said with certainty. Eren raised an eyebrow at his friend. Jean was dressed in dark blue jeans, a red button down and red chucks. 

 

Eren was dressed a little more ‘out there’ on the behest of Jean and many calls from Mikasa and pictures sent back and forth. 

 

The skeleton pants and gray-purple shirt were something Eren would normally fawn over as long as it was on someone else. 

 

He sifted back and forth, uncomfortable. He had bought some concealer for the scars on his face and now he looked almost normal. Which was exactly opposite to how he felt.  


“Let’s go, Let’s go!” Jean finally said, getting tired of Eren’s constant slowness. Eren blinked as he was dragged form his room and down the stairs

 

. 

 

Je an’s crappy car, some weird hybrid that was constructed by him and his father sat in the driveway. 

 

“That thing is going to break down on day and you are going to call me and I will not pick up my phone,” Eren said and Jean sniffed before rubbing the car lovingly. 

 

“Don’t be mean to Delilah.”

 

“If you got a dollar for every mental issue you have, you would probably be able to pay for the psychiatric help you so obviously need,” Eren snarked and jumped in the shot gun seat and watched as Jean grumbled and relegated himself to driving his best friend, the jerk.

 

It wasn’t past two yards before Jean said, 

 

“Why are people in horror movies so dumb?” 

 

“Why are you so random?”

 

“No really though,” Jean said and took a turn, flashing his blinker and focusing straight ahead. 

 

“They live in an alternate reality were horror movies don’t exist. They don’t know the rules Jean.”

 

“The rules?”

 

“The Ten Holy Rules of Horror Movies, I wrote a paper about it freshmen year?”

 

“Oh, I was probably sleeping.”

 

“Primary rule; Don't go into scary places i.e. basement, woods, old house, closed amusement park, boats, creepy towns not on a map, cabins in dark woods, places with no cell reception, graveyards ect. Secondary rule; Back round check people your close too and/or team up with to survive. Tertiary rule; Don't 'leave' to check on something, or do something, or look for stuff. Next are rules four, five and six, Don't get in Cars, trains, plains, buses, rickshaw or moving transport of any kind. Don't... not have weapons, or be the person that needs to be taken care of, be able to kick ass. Don’t do something you know not to, and or have been told by a reliable source not to do. And finally the last four rules, Don't dress badly i.e dress for success, Don't assume the monster is dead, it's not, Don't split up, There is no WE in die only in I, Don't ask stupid question and/or make stupid statements.”

 

“Did you memorize your list?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“This is why your only friends are a boy who had a bowl cut most of his life, your sister and me.”

 

“Fuck you, it’s a great fucking list.”

 

“Get out, we’re here,” Jean pushed the car into park and Eren looked out the window to see the creepiest fucking house he had ever laid eyes on.

 

“Jean was there a reason you asked me about my list,” Eren asked eyes wide, Jean cackled and slammed his door. 

 

“Yeah, how many rules are we breaking?”

 

“Well the primary rule is gone to the wind and since I’m with you the second one is fucked as well.”

 

“Great let’s go!”

 

Eren glanced up at the house again, it was extremely large with an old victorian flair, four stories and a pointed roof that spoke of an attic and most likely a basement beneath. Lights flashed from the downstairs windows into the night and the dark facade lit up like some ghoulish light show. 

 

“Jean, you go ahead in, I’m gonna text Mikasa really quick.” 

 

Jean nodded and walked in while Eren pulled out his phone and sent a few lines of text to Mikasa, warning her he would be out and wouldn’t pick up his phone till much later. When that was done Eren turned, still looking at his phone and walked straight into someone. 

 

“Oh shit, sorry!”

 

“It’s fine,” Said a low baritone and Eren looked up to see a tall man with parted blond hair and blue eyes. Eren blinked as he saw those eyes focus on him and he stumbled back. Heart suddenly pounding in his chest. 

 

“Are you alright?” The man said and Eren wanted nothing more than to flinch away. this man was overwhelming, something about him screamed power and precision and Eren’s seemingly new senses didn’t like it in the least. 

 

“Yes, sorry,” Eren finally managed to say before tearing off toward the house, walking as fast as his legs could carry him. 

 

_Who was that?_

 

The first thing that hit Eren was the sheer noise. The walls of the house must have been heavily insulated and therefore when he stepped through the doors it was like being knocked over with the sheer volume of the crappy dub-step discount song that was playing. 

 

“Eren!” Called a voice over the sound and Eren turned to see Sasha walking toward him, towing Connie behind her. She had a plate of food in one hand and a smile on her face while Connie just stared at her in admiration. 

 

“Hey guys!” Eren said, smiling. 

 

“Nice kicks and pants bro,” Connie shouted and Eren nodded, glad that Jean had actually talked him out of wearing his sweat pants, which were in fact, woman's yoga pants that he liked to call sweat pants to protect his ego.

 

“This is great!” 

 

Eren yelped as Jean yelled close to his ear, he turned around only to have his friend shove an unopened soda can in his hand and smile. Marco was with him, wearing a pale blue shirt and acid washed jeans that flattered him nicely. 

 

“Eren you should go find someone to dance with!” Jean hollered with a knowing smile and Eren flipped him off, Eren had been forced into dance lessons because Mikasa had wanted to take breakdance and hip hop. Eren had been good but maybe a little to provocative, The Seventh Winter formal dance had been a disaster and Eren vowed never to do hip hop again unless 

forced. 

 

Suddenly from behind them there were cheers, and Eren looked over his shoulder only to gape. 

 

Someone had rigged a piece of zip cord from the high point of the top banister on the second floor and the overhang above the front door. 

 

Some crazy idiot was holding up a mental hanger and yelling at the top of his lungs and the people below him yelled back.

 

“Please tell me they are not doing what I think they are doing,” Eren hissed and Jean shrugged. 

 

“We have a car, so if we really need to get away fast to avoid accessory to murder charges we can.”

 

“What the fuck is wrong with my friends... first Armin, now you, soon Mikasa will being saying she’ll kill for me.”

 

“Technically...”

 

“Shut it Jean.”

 

Eren watched as the boy with dark brown hair styled in a point climbed onto the banister and wobbled a bit before hooking the hanger over and preparing to jump. 

 

“Oh fridge dick, someone stop him,” Eren hissed and Connie nodded while Sasha went to get more food. 

 

“Oh man, I’m so videoing this,” Jean smiled and whipped out his smart phone despite Marco’s horrified looks in his direction.

 

With a yell the boy launched himself into mid air and came down on the zip line, flying down the line at an amazing rate. The boy was halfway down when the hanger snapped and he was sent flying. 

 

“Oh fuck,” Jean said. 

 

The wayward brunette came down hard on the old pool table in the next room over and cracked it in half. Everyone cheered when is hand popped up, signifying he was alive, if not unhurt.

 

“Oh man I want to try!” Connie said and Eren whipped out a hand and stopped him.

 

“Connie there are much easier ways to kill yourself, playing in traffic and doing crack are among them.”

 

Eren watched as Jean and Marco began to laugh hysterically at the look on Connie’s face. 

“I’m going to find a bathroom,” Eren said and excused himself, hoping that Marco would keep Connie from doing anything crazy.

 

Eren avoided the multiple drunk people on the stairs and the one couple that was making out so hard he wondered if they could breathe and tried to find the bathroom. 

 

The second floor had just as much mayhem as the first, with people stumbling up and down and lewd sounds coming from behind every closed door... and there were a lot of closed doors. 

 

“Wow, so this is the American dream... it sucks worse then Jean,” Eren hissed as he walked up the next flight of stairs. The third floor was more quiet but Eren didn’t want to take his chances so he ascended to the forth.

 

It was blissfully silent, the noise only filtering up slightly as he walked down the long hallway and looked for a bathroom. The walls were painted a pale blue that had grayed over the years and mirrors line the walls to create an infinity effect if you looked at the right angle. 

 

Eren finally found the bathroom and walked inside, shutting the door and making sure it locked. After relieving himself he walked to the bathroom sink and washed his hands, staring at his reflection. He looked haggard, all the way down to his bones, which was in fact a pun due to his pants. 

 

“Life’s so fucked up,” Eren muttered to himself and opened the bathroom door only to be tackled to the ground.  


“What the fuck?!” Eren yelled as something tore into his side. The thing repoistion itself and Eren looked to see something that chilled his blood. It had been human, once at least, and now its emaciated form crouched on him, blank eyes and grinning mouth.

 

_Jean was right th is place is fucking haunted!_

 

Eren screamed and tried to throw the thing off himself, but only managed to make it claw deeper into his side. He began to panic.

_Think Jaeger, don’t panic. Breathe and shift your weight._

 

Eren shifted up his hips and bucked his body up. The thing just shoved it’s clawed hands deeper into his side. 

 

“Double fucker douchedick, get the fuck off me!” Eren yelled and smashed out his arms with everything he had. The creature was shoved off and Eren flipped to his feet, crouching low and backing away as the creature crawled on all fours and faced him. 

 

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” Eren hissed and back peddled as the thing readied itself for another go. It leaped into the air and Eren whipped out a hand to protect his face when he felt the air become heavy and a mirror flew off the wall. It smashed into the creature, knocking it to the side and making it fall. Eren blinked, realizing he had done that.

 

The monster stood again, becoming Bipedal and Eren grimaced.

 

_Let’s see if this power is_ _useable._

 

Wi th a glance he focused on another mirror and sent it flying at the thing, it smashed over the creatures head sending it back to the ground and Eren took that time to turn and flee down the hall. 

 

He was only a few feet down when a hand snapped out from a doorway, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. 

 

“Stupid brat,” Came a dark voice and someone pulled him into a room and shut the door, locking it and slamming Eren’s back against it. 

 

Eren looked down into gunmetal eyes and gulped. 

 

“You survived longer then I thought you would, kid,” Levi said, eyes flashing. 

 

_Oh my god, fuck breaking the rules on my list, I fucki ng burned them. Help!_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha...another cliff hanger...I'm super sorry but I needed to end it there. Bam, Levi right guys! Anyway, I drew Eren's outfits so you guys could see the Halloween inspired clothes
> 
> http://ludificor9.tumblr.com/post/101618826908/happy-late-halloween-guys-this-actually-ties
> 
> Yeahhhhh, anyway that's his outfit and... Idk. I'd like to state that Jean and Eren are like really good friends in my mind but like before this they were horrible rivals, this is like after they settled their many differences and stuff. 
> 
> You all are so kind to leave comments and stuff, I'll try to respond but I'm such a scardy cat so bare with me. 
> 
> I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner but i have a heavy class load and no editor or beta so I'm gonna do my best!
> 
> Thanks guys!


	4. The Man Behind The Tall Tale...Well Tall Compared To Him

 

Eren tried to push himself harder into the grain of the wood door behind him, away from the boy who, though short, was as intimidating as the monster lurking outside the door.

 

“You’re bleeding,” Levi smirked and Eren cringed. 

 

“Yeah...” Eren trailed off as he heard smashing and banging from outside the door. The punk boy’s face hardened and stopped holding him in place.

 

“The others are here,” He spoke. 

 

“There are more of those things?” Eren hissed and Levi wrapped a hand around Eren’s wrist and pulled him toward the other side of the room.

 

“Yes, and if you don’t stop talking we will be fucked, understood?” Levi hissed and Eren winced as the grip on his wrist tightened. 

 

“Ow, dude, I’ll be quiet but let me go,” Eren hissed, trying to pull his arm away from the shirt boy. 

 

Levi turned and his mouth twitched into a half smile before Eren felt his arm grow numb, he looked down to see his fingers go slack. He went to step back, but his legs wobbled and his head swam and hen Levi tugged him forward again, he went, unable to refuse the motion. 

 

“Sit kid,” Levi hissed and shoved Eren into the furthest corner of the room. Eren blinked as the oppressive lethargy dissipated when Levi removed his hand from his skin. 

 

“How’d you get it off you?” Levi asked, and Eren looked up confused.

 

“The monster?”

 

“Yes, how did you get the Titan off you.”

 

“I...” Eren faltered, Levi must have not had a good view of the fight and therefore hadn’t seen Eren use his newfound ability. “I threw a mirror at it, after I rolled out from under it.”

A small lie, and one that could save him. 

 

Eren paused and stared at the kid's seemingly emotionless face. "Um, what is a titan, exactly?"

 

Levi looked up and sighed, "You're already in this deep, might as well answer your questions. A Titan is a human who has returned from the dead, they manifest in different forms, some harmless some are malignant and hunt people. Some hunt for flesh and blood, some for emotions and others for revenge. The party was planned on a night where one just happened to crawl out of its grave and wanted food."

 

Eren nodded numbly, trying and failing to wrap his mind around what he was just told. He realized that someone, maybe even this guy, drugged him and this was all an illusion. "And, how do you know all this? Is this a sick prank?" He asked, frowning and stepping back a few paces.

 

"Kid, if this was a prank someone would be laughing, I'm not laughing, are you? I grew up in this world, some people can see them, some people can't. You seem to have the ability, which means they are going to go after you from now on. And these aren't some misled spirits, they are tangible and will rip you limb from limb if you don't learn how to deal with them," Levi rattled this off, keeping his voice down and eyes trained on the door.

 

Eren's heart beat faster. He didn't know how to take this information, and so far he wasn't taking it well. He was still convinced it was a load of bullshit, but he couldn't detect a lie from what the kid was telling him. "What... Do I do?" he asked quietly, almost in a pleading tone.

 

"Fuck if I know, learn to survive. We made a club for people like us, our 'gang' we solve mysteries, teach people like you about the Wall. A barrier that separates this life and the next, we educate people... We try to survive," Levi glanced at the door again and pulled forth a knife from under his jacket, "and we kill when we must."

 

Eren saw the blade and got the terrible feeling he might get hurt... Or killed. On the other hand, he couldn't get past the fact that all of this sort of made sense. It felt true, and perhaps this explains his newfound 'powers'... "Do uh, 'powers', exist? Like, for humans?" He asked hesitantly, keeping his eyes trained on the boy's face.

 

"Certain people are born with them, some made by those who were born into the power and some a combination of both. But they are weak and only people who have truly touched death can manipulate anything of import."

 

Eren was about to ask another question when a commotion arose outside the door. He looked fearfully towards it, then back to Levi, who seemed to be prepped for whatever may be outside. Levi smiled and flinched toward Eren, who recoiled, his hands shooting up into a fighting stance, a guard.

 

“Have you taken self defense?”

 

“Yeah, I have my black belt and I- wait, wait, why are we chatting while there is a goddamn monster outside?”

 

“Because we need to wait until Erwin and Hanji come before we can leave this room.”

 

“We are waiting for your gang?” Eren whisper-screamed, eyes focused and stressed. 

 

“In simple terms, yes.”

 

“I am stuck between a monster and a gang of wannabe mafia, dear god why have you abandoned me, I know I wasn’t so great about the whole believing in you thing but this situation is just cruel. ”

 

“Do you often have running monologues with yourself?”

 

“Actually, it would be a running soliloquy, since I am speaking my thoughts out loud to no one in particular, but the argument for a monolog could be be made as I was talking to god, but since I- oh my god Armin has brainwashed me...”

 

Levi started at Eren as he pressed his face into his hands.

 

Then, from behind the door there was a mad cackle and a roaring sound. Eren jumped to his feet, and Levi positioned himself relaxedly against a wall. 

 

“They're here.”

 

“Your gang?!”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That gives me no comfort whatsoever!”

 

“No need to shit yourself kid.”

 

“I really don’t want to be here...” Eren said, working his way back into the corner. Levi raised an eyebrow and sighed. 

 

“Tch, I’ll handle this later,” Levi hissed and grabbed Eren’s face. Eren flinched back before the strange feeling came back, his eyes suddenly felt heavy and his legs wobbled before falling out from under him. 

 

“Sleep tight brat.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Eren! Eren oh my god Eren?” There was a voice yelling in his ear and Eren swatted at the voice. Someone caught hold of his hand and yelled louder. 

 

“What? What?” Eren mumbled, eyes opening. Jean was leaning over him with Marco supporting his head in his lap. 

 

“Eren what happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Oh my god, where is your shirt?”

Eren tried to sit up, but Marco pushed him back down with a shake of his head. The kid, Levi, must have done something to him because he felt weak all over. 

 

“Eren...God, what happened?”

 

“I-” Eren cut himself off and thought about the situation. He was laying in a different room, without his sweater, which had been torn and covered in blood. His side had been bandaged, but had most likely healed a few minutes ago, before Jean and Marco had found him. 

 

“I don’t know...” Eren mumbled and Jean sucked in a breath. 

 

“Eren were you assaulted? Because we need to call the police!” 

 

“No, no I wasn’t, I think I just passed out from a migraine...”

 

Marco immediately took his hands away from Eren’s head, as if the light pressure might cause him to hurt more than he already did. 

 

“Jean can you go grab me a water and Marco, would you find me a spare shirt or something, I’m sure there’s one in a closet. I’ll return it.”

 

“Of course!” Both boys hurried out of the room and Eren stood. His side no longer hurt, but he felt something in his back pocket. 

 

He reached in and pulled out a crumpled note, the handwriting uniform and almost spidery. 

 

_Meet us in the old school building, room 305, don’t be late and don’t bring friends. Otherwise next we’ll be seeing of you is your closed casket._

 

“What the actual fuck...” Eren mumbled and tucked the note back in. 

 

He would have to go meet them, and that thought filled him with dread an anticipation. As much as he liked being a normal high school boy, the thought of adventure rushed through his veins and made him jittery with excitement. 

 

 

* * *

 

Eren bolted out of school the next day, bag slamming on his back as he secured his skateboard under one arm and pounded down the street.

 

His breath came in heavy bursts as he realized that he would have to run everyday just to make the weird ass ‘club’ meets. 

 

It’s like I’m stuck in a perpetual game of tag you’re fucked! 

 

He groaned in annoyance and poured on the speed, hoping that the old building wouldn’t be too huge. 

 

Eren dashed through the gates and hissed in trepidation as he realized the old school building was huge, he regretted trying to even take this crazy club, more so after finding out it was at down the road. 

 

With a few more horrible sprints he made it to the third floor of the college side building, it was dark and dusty on the third floor with flickering fluorescent lighting and the smell of mildew. 

 

“Room 305, Room 305... Room 305?” Eren muttered and wandered down the hall, looking at the numbers stuck beside the doors before he came to the correct one.

 

"Hanji, stop it, come on, give me back my pants..." 

 

The voice traveled through the closed wooden door, Eren gaped at the room eyes flicking down to the door knob. 

 

"But Mike, you look better like that!"

 

"No, I don't give me back my pants."

 

"But that's the whole point of strip poker!" Called another voice from the room.

 

"Yeah, well, you guys cheated," The impassive voice said, almost monotone.

 

"Aw, we're sorry!" Cackled the manic voice, which was undoubtedly Hanji, and Eren thought it didn’t sound very funny.

 

The room erupted into a fit of laughter, Eren blinked before biting the bullet.

 

He walked into the room just as Mike yanked his pants back, a lovely pair of dark jeans, and the woman on the floor released them, causing Mike to fall back and his very hard elbow, slammed into Eren’s face.

 

Eren felt a sickening thud as his nose was compacted and went flying, his bag spilling its insides everywhere. 

 

Falling like a tree to an ax, Eren was suddenly looking up at the ceiling, wondering how he had gotten there.

 

Silence pervaded.

 

"Oh crap..."

 

"Oh my god, you just hit a girl."

 

"Miss! Are you okay?" Asked Hanji who had let go of the pants, her square glasses shining in the light.

 

"I'm a guy..." Eren moaned out, wondering just how much his hair obscured his face.

 

Everyone froze as the girl blinked.

 

"Really? Oh... God Is that you Eren?"

 

"Yes..."

 

"You know this kid?" Said a boy helpfully from his perch on the back of the one of the chairs in the room. 

 

“Yeah, he styled his hair differently at the party, though, and with that outfit, he looks just like a cute girl!”

 

"What? Never mind," Eren said, sitting up only to have warm liquid dribble, or maybe a more adequate word was pour, down his face. 

 

Everybody gaped.

 

"Oh my god that has to be the worse nose bleed ever, it like gushed out, oh my god, first aid, first aid!" Yelled the same boy standing up and running around like a headless chicken.

 

" Its not that bad." Eren said, bringing a hand to to his face and pulling it away, staring at the blood.

 

The red sticky liquid covered his whole hand. His eyes widened.

 

"Okay, that’s not normal," Eren said before falling back and laying down to soothe his head ache. It was brilliant, start to his new high school life, well it could have been worse-

Suddenly the door swung open hitting Eren in the back of the head and he groaned causing the two boys coming in the door to stop.

 

" What the...What the hell?" The newcomer said quietly, eyes narrowed and the other didn't make a move.

 

"Oh good Levi, Erwin, the newest member of the club!" The woman said.

 

"Another girl?"

 

"No, I'm a guy." Eren called from his position on the floor, wedged between the door and the wall, so his voice was muffled.

 

"Oh, you’re the kid from the party," Erwin, the blond haired one as indicated, pulled the door open and went to help the boy but stopped when he saw the blood.

 

"Were you shot?" He asked and Eren looked up.

 

"Is it really that bad?"

 

"Was your shirt red to begin with?"

 

"My shirt was blue."

 

" Yes, it’s that bad." Finally he heard a sigh and the other boy, Levi stood there impassively, like he had never met Eren before. 

 

“Oi, shitty brat, you’re getting blood all over the floor.”

 

Eren blinked slowly, his mind snapped. He had run all the way here, he had a horrible party and week, his day had gone to shit and this little fuckass was going to give him shit. No matter how scary or knife wielding this fuck was, Eren was so far gone he didn’t even care.  

 

“Oh man, really, I never noticed, man that’s so rude of me, it’s not like my nose is smashed in or anything, you _short fuck_!” Eren snapped, his voice short and laced with sarcasm and pent up rage.

 

Everyone froze again and the Levi,the short fuck in question looked at him with icy eyes and took a step forward before the brown haired woman jumped between them and put her hands up in defense. 

 

“Now Levi, he’s new!” Her voice wavered as she tried to calm the man down. 

 

“He’s living on borrowed time,” Levi snapped and stalked away to sit on the top of a table on the other side of the room.

 

Erwin helped Eren to his feet and walked him over to a chair, before sitting him down.

"Hanji get those towels on the desk." He said and grabbed Eren’s head tilting it back to stem the crimson flow of liquid that was still dribbling down his face.

 

" Is it hard to breath?" Erwin asked, and Eren finally recognized him as the intimidating man he had bumped into at the party.

 

" No."

 

" Are you seeing stars?"

 

" No."

 

" Do you feel woozy?"

 

"I was elbowed in the face and hit by a door," Eren said and Erwin noded, taking it as an answer.

 

“So what happened?” Erwin asked and Hanji, the brown haired, bespectacled woman, began to explain. 

 

“Well we were playing strip poker-”

 

“Hanji...”

 

“And we stole Mike’s pants-”

 

“Hanji.”

 

“And he grabbed them back and fell and the boy walked in and Mike smashed his face in...”

 

“ _Hanji._ ”

 

“It was really unavoidable!”

 

“You are a club leader! This is the first time a club like this has been allowed and you’ll be the one to ruin us!” Erwin reprimanded, impressive eyebrows coming down. Eren looked around and realized he was surrounded by crazy kids with not a single normal high schooler in sight.

 

“So...Who’s the club leader?”

 

“Erwin is, super genius and all the jazz, Levi is second command and the rest of us are just insane,” Hanji motioned to the group and Eren nodded, causing blood to dribble from his nose again.

 

“Is it broken?” Hanji asked and Eren shrugged.

 

“Don’t think so...”

 

“Well... I really am sorry... You know me but not everyone else, the girl in the back is Nanaba, the useless guy is Gunther and behind him is Petra who is staying far away from the blood, the person who is nursing a split lip is Oluo and you met Erwin and Levi.”

 

“So...this is the crazy monster hunting club right?” Eren asked looking around. 

 

“Yep!”

 

“Where is everyone?”

 

“We’re it really,” Hanji smiled.

 

“Um?” Eren asked, looking around to Erwin.

 

“We should have five more but some are indisposed and some missing...”

 

“Excuse me, did you say five?” Eren asked.

 

“It’s a dangerous club and therefore not many people know about us,” Erwin seemed to sigh in despair. 

 

“Or maybe they thought this club was shit.”

 

Eren looked at Levi sharply, this man was annoying, though not hard to look at.  

 

“Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine,” Eren snapped, annoyed at this guy already. 

 

“And you are a bratty fuck,” Levi hissed back.

 

“At least I can get into movies without my parents, how do you do that, bring a stool?”

 

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you to respect your upperclass men, fucker?” Levi snarled back standing from his seat. 

 

“Sorry I don’t see any upper class men, I see a short, aggressive jackass!” Eren snarled wiping blood from his face with the back of his hand. 

 

Hanji was watching like it was a tennis match, head flying back and forth smile on her face, Erwin had stepped back and was looking critically at the both of them and everyone else was trying to stay as far away as possible.

 

“You piece of shit kid! You want to try me?” Levi snarled and stalked forward, Eren glared and started forward too. 

 

“You’re like a teacup Chihuahua with aggression issues, oh wait that’s an insult to the dog,” Eren snarled and Levi hissed through his teeth before shooting forward. He was across the distance in a second and Eren blinked before diving into a duck as Levi’s hand shot were his head used to be. 

 

_Fuck he’s fast!_

 

Eren spun, going in for a low kick and Levi jumped over it before trying to come in with a knee strike. The brown haired boy flung himself out of the way, using the table as a vault to get himself away from this man. 

 

Levi was smarter though, he flung and arm out and smashed Eren’s leg to the side, flipping him off balance so Eren hit the table wrong and his arms collapsed as he tumbled over the side and smashed onto the ground.

 

_Fuck!_

 

Levi jumped over the table, only using his hands and lifting his feet high before landing and straddling Eren, who’s breath was coming fast as he threw up his hands in a cross block and prepared for the worst.

 

It never came. 

 

“Tsk, shitty brat has moves...” Levi said before getting off Eren and standing. The man looked down at Eren, who was covered in blood, eyes focused in anger and hair whipped out of shape and smiled.

 

Eren flinched because it wasn’t a nice smile, far from actually.

 

“Oh my god, that was awesome!” Hanji screamed and ran over looking at Eren who blinked and nodded before pushing himself up, making sure not to loose sight of Levi.

 

“Well Eren, shall I explain to you what we do here?” Erwin said and Eren glared. 

 

“Would it make a difference?”

 

“In deciding if you live or die? Yes, right now your life depends on what we tell you,” Erwin smiled and then his eyes took on a hard glint, “So you should listen closely.”

 

Eren gulped and looked at the door, which suddenly seemed very far away.

 

_What am I going to fucking do?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late, life got in the way. It will normally only take a full week for me to turn around my writing. The next two updates might be slow but after finals and my art showing I'll be free to write as often as I like. So please bare with me for a few weeks. And I'm sorry for all the cliff hangers, I know I'm kinda shitty. Anyway, Erin is in trouble and finally they officially meet.


	5. Shit's Fucked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Trigger Warning for Abuse, proceed with caution*

Eren sat outside the school, trying to take in what had just happened. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and took a lighter out from his back pocket. When he was younger his dad had cigs laying out all over and would even jokingly hand one to Eren to try. More out of maliciousness than anything. 

 

After a while, and peer pressure he had developed a habit. He had stopped before his accident, but after he would use smokes to get his hands to stop shaking and have something to do. 

 

He used his fake ID to get most of them, but the guy down at the convenience store was always half tripped out and didn’t even look twice at Eren. 

 

He looked at the pack he had pulled out and grinned, even when his world was changing American Spirit menthol still tasted the same. Eren lit the cig and pocketed his lighter before drawing in a deep breath and resting his head against the old school building.

 

What Erwin had told him pinged around in his head like a wayward tennis ball, hitting all recesses of his mind and making him reevaluate everything.

 

“So talk this out Jaeger,” Eren said to himself, “You met a bunch of crazy people, who seem to be just as fucked up as you. They are claiming that the dead rise every so often because of unknown reasons and these dead are called Titans. They are either straight forward monsters or intelligent and this means they are dangerous. People who have come close to death, like myself, can sometimes develop the ability to see them, and once you can see them, they are more likely to try to eat your face.”

 

“Sounds about right,” Came a sudden voice and Eren yelped, turning and looking to see Mr. Short-dark-and-angry staring at him. Eren winced and tried to hide the fact he was smoking. But the piercing gray eyes followed his motion and a thin eyebrow was raised. 

 

“You smoke kid?”

 

“No, I just light cigarettes and stare at them. Yes, I smoke,” Eren snapped, his temper still high and on edge due to Levi’s shitty attitude. 

 

“Hand it over,” Levi motioned and Eren rolled his eyes, but gave the cig to Levi, who, instead of crushing it beneath his boot like Eren thought he would, took a drag and made a face before handing it back. 

 

“American Spirit... At least it’s not Basic.”

 

“I am a kid but I can still taste things... And Basic, not to mention Doral or even Marlboro taste like crap,” Eren rolled his eyes and took another drag. 

 

“Not bad kid, is that your only brand?”

 

“If I can getmy hands on a pack off my dad or at the store I would go for Camel Rare, Djarium Black, Camel Exotic Flavors, but I like American Spirit because it’s close to the register where i buy them and the person doesn't have to get up to get them, meaning he’s more likely to let me buy them and not hassle me.”

 

Levi nodded, 

“I like Dark mint from Camel. Djarium Blacks fuck you up. What do your parents say kid?”

 

“Parent, I have one, and he doesn’t give a fuck. And my names Eren, not kid.”

 

Levi smirked and walked closer. 

 

“I can call you what I like brat, comes with being able to fuck people up.”

 

“Yeah, short-stuff I’m sure-” Before Eren could finish Levi was inches away from his face and gripping his chin. 

 

“Look you giant fuck, I may be easy on the eyes but my personality is shitty and I won’t have a problem breaking those nice teeth of yours if you do that agai n.”

 

E ren blinked and blew smoke into his face,“What ever you say old man.”

 

Levi looked impassively at Eren before stepping back with a wry smirk. 

 

“You’re gonna be shot one day brat.”

 

“Looking forward to it,” Eren sighed and pushed himself to his feet before taking one last drag and then crushing his cigarette under his foot. 

 

“So what now?” Eren asked, looking up through his messy hair, which was now falling below his ears. 

 

“Now you show up at the club and watch your back. As much as i hate your ugly mug I’ll be in charge of taking care of you. Heres my card.” Levi flicked a black card Eren’s way and Eren snatched it out of the air and looked at it. 

 

“Eclectic, piercings, tattoos and body modifications...?” Eren looked up and Levi rolled his eyes. 

 

“I design for Erwin.”

 

“He’s a student though?”

 

“Not anymore, he helps out with clubs and subs in the art department.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Have a nice trip home kid, don’t get shot,” Levi waved from over his shoulder and disappeared out of the alley. 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren walked back home, rubbing the back of his neck. It had been a wild day, and the whole party, club, introduced to a gang fiasco had really worn him down. 

 

With a sigh, he trotted up the steps and put his key in the door. The house seemed quiet and foreboding as Eren unlocked the door with a clunk and walked in. 

 

When the door finished being pushed open Eren stumbled into, tired eyes casting around for the hook he would put his scarf on. 

 

“Worthless scum!” Came a sudden voice and Eren felt a smash as he was ripped forward and pulled close to someones face. The scent of liquor overwhelmed him and his heart dropped in fear. 

 

For all the monsters he had now faced, none were quite as frightening as his father. 

“Dad?” Eren yelped, trying to squirm away, only to be shoved onto the floor and his face smashed against the hard wood. Eren felt his lip split and his vision fissure in and out. 

 

“No good, worthless son!”

 

“Dad, stop!” Eren cried only to feel his face ground into the wood, splinters rubbing into his cheeks that were now wet with surprised tears. 

 

“I’ll teach you a lesson!” Grisha yelled and his boot came down repeatedly on the boy, who curled inwards to protect his core. 

 

Eren never knew why his father was so angry all the time, he never understood why he wasn’t loved, but he did understand his father wouldn't stop until he got away. 

 

Eren also didn’t understand why his father was home so early, he said he would be gone for a while, but it was no time for pondering that fact. Eren pulled himself away from the kicks and scrambled onto his feet, sides aching and pulled himself behind the dinning room table. The table would provide a defense against the man until he could get away. 

 

“Get back here you worthless fucking child!” Grisha spit, his words slurring and Eren tried to blink the pain out of his eyes and stand straight, his ribs were killing him and his mouth was coated in foamy blood. 

 

“Dad! What are you doing?” Eren yelled, as Grisha tried to come around the table again. Eren had thought he was safe, his dad had never been quiet this violent before and now that scared him. 

 

“You worthless fuck, sneaking out, I wish you had died in that fucking accident,” Grisha hissed and Eren’s heart dropped. 

 

There it was. 

 

The one thing Eren had hoped never to hear, and there it was. The feeling of being in the car and not being able to breath correctly or think through the pain of it happening, rushed back to him and Eren fell to the ground. Legs giving out like sand to a wave, he collapsed and threw up on the floor. 

 

His eyes watered as Gatorade and a coke came up, all he had really eaten today. 

But thankfully, there was no more kicks or punches, Eren looked up through watering eyes and saw Grisha had headed back upstairs, job seemingly done. 

 

Eren laid on his side, breath heaving in and out before he pushed himself up and stumbled from the room. He didn’t bother with a coat to keep himself warm despite the bite in the air and flung himself out the front door. 

 

The cold wind cut into his thin shirt and jeans as he clutched his side and ran as fast as his battered body would allow away from the house. His house. 

 

* * *

 

Jean smiled at Marco, who was trying to explain the last math problem to him. The boy waved his hand wildly while smiling, accenting the explanation of how polynomials could be used to solve this particular shape. 

 

Marco was fun to watch, his eyes always full of emotion and hands completely still or completely active, the freckles stood out more when he smiled and he had a habit of rubbing his cheek when he was nervous.

 

As it turned out, Jean might actually like this guy more than he originally thought he would. 

 

“So if you take the end and use the guess and check method the variable won’t actually change! All that will-” Marco was cut off by the doorbell ringing. 

 

“Sorry, I’ll get that,” Jean smiled and stood from the kitchen table and walked into the hall where the door was. 

 

Jean flipped open the deadbolt and opened the door. 

 

“Who-” Jean cut himself off when he saw who was standing outside his door, leaning on the frame and half bent over. 

 

Eren. 

 

Eren Jaeger was standing there, his head bowed and breath barely making a cloud anymore because of how cold he was, his fingers blue. 

 

“Fuck Eren? What’s wrong?” Jean asked and reached out, only to have Eren look at him and Jean gaspe d. 

 

E ren’s face was bloody and bruised. His left side was swollen with a few splinters of wood along his cheekbone, his eye was also slightly swollen and his lip was badly split, and nose coated in blood, though not broken. His temple seemed to be bleeding somewhere in his hairline and when he went to speak, his teeth were covered in b lood. 

 

“Hol y fuck!” Jean gasped and grabbed Eren as he swayed, the boys arms seemed to be wrapped around his ribs to protect them so Jean carefully led him inside by his arm. 

 

“My dad was pissed,” Eren murmured under his breath and Jean’s eyes hardened. Grisha had, and would always be a real piece of work but this was a new low for the bottom feeder.

 

“Jean, who’s- Oh my god, Eren?” Marco gaped and Jean gave him a look that said ‘don’t scream’.

 

Marco didn’t, of course, he ran to Eren’s other side and helped him into a kitchen chair. 

“Eren let’s call the cops. That man doesn’t deserve the air, he breathes!” Jean hissed and went to the phone. 

 

“Don’t call Mikasa!” Eren yelled, trying to get up, but only collapsed in on himself. Jean rushed back and gripped Eren’s shoulders, keeping him in the chair. 

 

“Call Armin.”

 

Jean blinked, but whipped out his cell phone and speed dialed Armin.

 

“ Hell o this is Armin can i-”

 

“Eren’s beat to hell bowl cut, I need you here now,” Jean hissed into the phone and Arminaudibly blinked. 

 

“Jean? Who was he beaten by?”

 

“Who do you think?”

 

“Grisha... Oh god, how bad?”

 

“Bad Armin, he’s almost unconscious.”

 

With a click Armin hung up and Jean knew he would be there in minutes. Jean went back to Eren and knelt in front of him. Eren looked out of it, his normally crystalline eyes clouding with pain and confusion. 

 

“Eren... Eren look at me. Armin’s coming. Let’s try to get you cleaned up.”

 

Eren blinked and nodded, his eyes drooping again. Jean breathed in and looked back at Marco. 

 

“Marco, can you grab the first aid kit out of the kitchen. It’s under the sink to the right.”

The freckled boy nodded and dashed into the kitchen. 

 

“Eren, what happen?”

 

“He came home early, I was late home... You know the drill.”

 

“It shouldn’t be a drill!” Jean shouted and Eren flinched. Jean readjusted himself and lowered his voice. 

 

“Eren I know you’ve had worse and it’s all ‘superficial’ to you because of how you have such a _great_ pain tolerance but that man should not do this to you. It’s not funny, or okay, it’s fucking tragic. Mikasa would kill him if she kne w.”

 

“ But she’ll never know so I don’t have to worry about that!” Eren yelled and Jean growled. 

 

“Eren stop protecting everyone! Stop acting like such a hero! It’s dangerous and reckless and I don’t want to almost lose a friend again. Not my best friend!”

 

Eren stood up and shook his head. 

“It’s not heroic, if I report him, Mikasa is taken out of his care and put with a foster family until she is 18 and I might be shipped off as well. I’m not taking that chance. I’ll never take that chance and don’t you dare ruin this for me Jean! This is my _family!_ ”

 

“It hasn’t been your family since your mom died!” Jean screamed, and Eren looked like he had been slapped. 

 

“Jean...” Marco whispered, even he knew some line had been crossed.

 

“She didn’t _die_ Jean, she was murdered and god damn right we haven’t been a family since Mikasa and I walked in on that!” Eren hissed and stood, not wobbling anymore. 

 

“Eren, just sit down!” Jean called and Eren backed up, his eyes hard before he tore away and ran for the door. 

 

“Eren! Stop!” Jean cried, but Eren wasn’t listening. He bolted out the door and into the cold street, which was now slick with rain. Jean and down the steps, but knew he wasn’t going to catch his friend. 

 

“Fuck!” Jean yelled and smashed his hand into the wooden railing on the side of his house. 

 

“Jean?” Came a voice and Jean looked up to see Armin walking up the drive, he had parked on the street and since Jean was too busy trying to catch Eren he hadn’t noticed. 

 

“Yeah, I’m here, Eren’s-” Jean trailed off when he saw the person trailing behind Armin. The piercing grey eyes that locked in on him and red scarf that covered most of her mouth. 

 

“You called Mikasa?” Jean asked and Armin rubbed the back of his neck.

 

“No, she overheard that Eren had been in another school fight and wanted to come,” He explained, locking eyes with Jean so he knew the lie was one he needed to agree with. 

 

“Where is my brother?” Mikasa asked, her voice frigid. 

 

“He ran off in a rage, he was hurt pretty bad.”

 

“He was still hurt?!” Armin said, shock on his face. 

 

“Yeah, it’s not something that heals overnight...” Jean explained, casting a bemused glance at Armin.

 

“Are you sure he wasn’t...getting better?” Armin asked and Jean snorted.

 

“Armin, you’re the smartest of all of us, you know bruises and cuts don’t heal in half an hour. Did you forget every book you’ve read?”

 

“No, sorry, I’m just worried...” Armin trailed off, looking confused. 

 

“Where did he run too!” Mikasa finally snapped, tired of waiting.

 

“I have no idea, not home, and he doesn’t have that many friends besides the ones standing right here,” Jean said, running his hands through his hair in distress.

 

“Well, let’s just let Eren be for a moment, he needs to collect himself and he’s old enough to know how to take care of himself,” Armin said, trying to be the voice of reason.

 

“I sure hope so...” Jean muttered. 

 

* * *

 

 

The frigid rain stung Eren’s face as he tore into the park. His breathing was rushed and jittery as he pressed a hand to his chest and tried to relax. His ribs ached and face felt sore and he was sure he looked like shit. 

 

The park was one he had been to many times, a few benches lining the walk, a stone table or two and lamps lighting the pathway and some of the green space.

 

But none of that mattered. Rage had bubbled up in his chest like a wellspring that had been trapped for too long. 

 

“Fuck,” Eren yelled and grasped his hair, the pavement under his feet shook and the lights flickered around him. He felt almost at ease when the strange sensation ran through him. Like a hot blast of electricity rippling from his head to his heart and through his limbs.

 

Eren stepped back, his eyes narrowing as he remembered what Jean had said, and how right he was about the whole situation. The pulsing sensation came again and Eren screwed up his face trying to relax. 

 

_It hasn’t been your family since your mom died!_

 

Eren suddenly snapped his hand up and bit down hard, teeth sinking into flesh and allowing blood to pool out. With a purpose he wasn’t sure he was in control of he whipped out a hand and directed his power at the nearest bench. 

 

The wood exploded, splinters and screws flying everywhere. The feeling of exhilaration washed over Eren and he grinned. He could feel his bruises and bones knitting back into a whole and scaring over. New scars on his ribs and some by his ear, but it felt good. The power he knows could sense running through his veins felt intoxicati ng.

 

W ith more direction in his thoughts, he focused on a piece of broken wood and stretched his fingers out, the wood wobbled and Eren narrowed his eyes. The board was snatched into the air and slammed into his open hand. 

 

“Oh my god...” Eren laughed, his voice verging on hysterical. 

 

And for the first time he wasn’t afraid of his powers, he felt completely at ease... And he began to wonder if that was the scarier of the two. 

 

_Who am I becoming?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Grisha is an asshole, I'm sorry. Anyway... More shall be revealed about powers and people in the next chapter. I'm sorry this took so long to get up, family things and stuff. It's a little shorter then normal so the next chapter will be longer.
> 
> The next chapter will be late as well, I'm sorry, but finals and Christmas, but after that I should be on a normal schedule so yay! I'll be tracking the tag. 
> 
> Fic: Will of Iron SNK 
> 
> so yeah, if you want me to see something that'll be there. I might post some fanart but... Who knows guys Finals, friends, parents. If anyone needs me to summarize this chapter because of the trigger and you still want to know what happens, please send me a message on here or tumblr and I'll be happy to do that.
> 
> As always I'm sorry for any mistakes, I'm trying to get these up and done asap so ehhh... but if anyone would like to beta or just preread hit me up and we can talk!


	6. Monsters, Mayhem and Dear God He is Hot

Eren woke to the sound of a car horn blaring, his eyes unfocused as he blinked and sat up. His hands were numb as he realized he had fallen asleep in the park. Ice clung to his eyelashes and hair as seemingly the morning dew had frozen on his face. He shivered slightly but for the most part was just surprised he hadn’t died of hypothermia. 

 

With a yawn Eren pulled his phone, which had been turned off from his pocket and turned it on. The black screen reflected back at him for a moment, he saw a boy with hair in desperate need of a cut and dark circles under his eyes, he saw a vacant stare and frozen water droplets clinging to his damp hair. Most of the damage his fath-that man, had done was gone, but his eyes still looked like someone had smashed him in the nose and his body ached. He was more than a little relieved when the bright white of the start up screen erased the image completely. He hated his reflection sometimes.

 

When his phone did finally load he moaned in horror when he realized he have 49 missed calls from Mikasa, 5 miss calls from Armin and about 10 missed calls from Jean and one from a number he recognized as Marcos. He didn’t even bother looking at the 159 messages from various people asking him where he was. He rolled his eyes and leaned his head against the tree he had fallen asleep against. With a sudden trill his phone began buzzing and he flinched, the sound sending his head knocking. He looked at the caller id, fearing his sister and instead was met by an unknown number. 

 

“Hello?” Eren asked, when he picked up.

 

“Jaeger... Why is your friend accusing me of killing you?” Came a dark voice and Eren nearly dropped the phone as he realized Levi was on the other line. 

 

“W-what?” Eren stammered. 

 

“...The kid who looks like a horse with fucked up two-toned hair came into our gym this morning ranting about how you were missing and how he had connected the dots and shit...”

 

“How did Jean even know I met you guys...uh, never mind, he was bound to find out. He’s insane, ignore him,” Eren murmured and rose from the ground, ice falling off his clothes in small sparkling shards. 

 

“Where were you today?” Levi asked suddenly, sounding bored.

“I skipped,” Eren muttered, trying to get the ice out of his hair, it wasn’t snowing but it had frozen into slush.

 

“Erwin wanted me to show you some things, brat. Where are you now?” Levi asked and Eren blinked. 

 

“At... Town park?”

 

“Why are you at town park at 10 in the morning?”

 

“I... I like walking in the cold, its invigorating...” Eren lied through his teeth, trying to warm himself by shuffling in place.

 

“Bullshit, I’m coming to get you, stay there,” Levi hissed in annoyance and the sharp click rang in Eren’s ear. He pulled the phone away and looked at it like it had bitten himself before sighing and sitting back down onto the cold grass and leaning his head back into the tree. He was already exhausted and he had only just gotten up and talked to people. He pulled his legs in and felt his eyes drifting shut again. 

 

Just five minutes, five minutes of rest.

 

* * *

 

“Oi, brat...Wake up!” Came a voice and Eren blinked and opened his eyes slowly. Levi was standing in front of him wearing a blank mask, his snake bites sparkling in the, now, late afternoon sun. 

 

“Levi?” Eren asked sleepily, rubbing his face and feeling water drip from his hair. If he hadn’t been wet before he was now because the frost and slush had melted into the sun and left Eren sopping and shivering. He wondered about his overall health and then turned his attention blearily back to Levi.

 

The pseudo-Goth was wearing his signature black look with a dark black button down under a coat with a black faux fur collar and ripped pants ending and metal toed boots black, gloves were the only seasonal thing on his body. Eren couldn’t help but notice how handsome the man looked in this lighting and smiled slightly. 

 

“What’s with that look you strange fuck? Why are you sleeping outside in a puddle, fucking disgusting!” Levi snarled and Eren just chuckled, laying his head back against the tree. 

 

“I don’t quite know myself, maybe it’s because I’m rebelliously stupid and want to freeze to death but who knows!” Eren laughed and Levi drew back slightly, looking at the boy more closely then before. He was dripping and his fingers and lips had turned a slightly blue. His eyes, which normally were a striking green/gold, seemed dull and almost plastic. 

 

“Let’s get you cleaned up? How about it?” Levi said, suddenly toning down his aggressive behavior to something more calm and collected. Eren nodded numbly and tried to get to his feet before slipping down the trunk of the tree with a small hiss. 

“Your legs are probably so cold they’re stiff,” Levi sighed and grabbed Erens arm, hefting him easily and looping that arm around his shoulders so they could make their way out of the park. 

 

“You’re not as scary as you seem, you know that?” Eren mumbled and Levi snorted. 

 

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had come to the meeting today, I was going to share some pretty fucking dark secrets.”

 

“What? You a murderer like me?” Eren asked and Levi waited for the chuckle, the show of amusement that made it a joke but none was forthcoming. Eren just half stood, half hung from Levi with a distant look on his face. 

 

“Brat... Did something happe-” Levi was cut off as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. With a quick flash Levi was pushing Eren down, to the side and spinning in place and brought out a knife. 

 

There was a ghostly sound and Eren looked up from where he had fallen to see something climb from the valley were the trees disappeared from the tamed nature of the park to the dark woods below. It had disproportionately long arms and legs, making it almost spindly and it moved forward with it’s lanky hair swinging back and forth. It’s emancipated body giving no clue as to it’s sex before it had become what it was. 

 

“Aberrant Titan...” Levi hissed and looked at his small knife, which wouldn’t make a difference against something like this. 

 

“What the actual fuck?” Eren whispered, his eyes growing large as the thing moved it’s head up and opened it’s mouth and it’s teeth snapped together like razor wire over flesh. 

 

“Eren, stay where you are!” Levi called, not looking behind him but rather waiting for the monster to advance and make it’s move. 

 

With a sudden shriek it barreled across the open space at Levi, who spun out of its charge and tried to slam the knife into the back of it’s neck. The titan was too fast and only got nicked on the shoulder, it made a hissing sound and turned back to the black haired man who snarled slightly and adjusted his hold on the knife. 

 

The creature charged again and Eren watched with horror and awe as Levi avoided it once more and tried to bring the knife down on the neck. He almost had it when Eren caught something to the right of his vision. Another of the creatures was about to attack Levi, its gaping maw opened wider then Eren though possible. With a flash of clarity Eren was up. The teen dashed and football style tackled the monster away from Levi. 

 

Levi flinched as he heard and saw from his peripheral vision Eren jump the second Titan. The kid was going to die if Levi didn’t finish this soon. 

 

Eren struggled with the monster, that was so strong it created cracks on the ground where it struggled to get up. The green eyed boy panted and swung himself around, as the creature finally got to it’s feet, so he was off the ground piggyback style and trying to use his body weight to put the monster in a choke hold. He dug his knees into the creature back and tried to snap it’s neck.

 

Only to look up and see the monsters head had done and 180 turn like a freakish owl from hell and it’s dead eyes now looked at him. 

 

Eren screamed like he was trying to hit whistle tone and screamed again when the monster sunk it’s teeth into his arm. The second scream was more low, pain coursing through his body as he released his grip and fell to the ground. He didn’t even think to use his powers as his head lolled to the side and his eyes slid to half mast. 

 

The monster’s head twisted back into place and leaned over him eyes, twisted it’s mouth open in a leer and Eren could only wait for what was to happen. But with a movement, two pale, ungloved hands pressed themselves into the monsters face on the sides. Black swirling patterns, a mix of smoke looking tendrils and swirls began to come forth from the skin and seep into the hands. Staining them black. The monster screeched, trying to throw the limbs off itself but they dug in, nails drawing blood that was a darker red then most from the creature. 

 

Eren felt blood droplets hit his face as he looked up into the freakishly blank eyes of the creature..

 

Suddenly a knife blade appeared through the throat from the back and Eren gasped in blessed air, as the monster was shoved off him. 

 

“Eren!” Levi hissed as he knelt beside the boy. His hair was messed up and he had deep cuts from clawed hands running down his side through his coat. Eren blinked, trying to see if the black swirls had been his imagination or something real. Yet Levi looked normal, no black markings from before lingered. 

 

“I’m okay...” Eren gasped, trying to look at his arm.  

 

“Eren, don’t look,” Levi spoke, shucking his jacket and wrapping it around the boys arm in a vice like grip. 

 

“Where did they come from?” Eren asked and Levi shook his head.

 

“They must have been sleeping there during the day from last night, the commotion from us must have woken them.”

 

“Strange...I was here all night and they didn’t bother me,” Eren mumbled and Levi blinked at the boy. 

 

“Okay, we need to get to the car. Can you do that?” Levi asked and Eren snorted. 

 

“After playing hooky with that fucked up creature I think I can do anything.”

 

“You _were_ basically straddling the thing,” Levi chuckled, and Eren giggled at the slight innuendo the adrenaline making him woozy as it wore down. 

 

“Don’t remind me. It broke it’s neck just to look at me. What the actual fuck.”

 

“I don’t know Jaeger I pegged you for having strange fucking taste.”

 

“Yeah, but I prefer to fuck people who don’t try to eat me, I lose a lot less that way...biting is okay though,” Eren deadpanned.

 

“You’re a sick fuck Jaeger, you know that?” Levi chuckled and Eren looked at him.

 

“Well, you’re into knife play so who are you to judge?”

 

“So help me motherfucking god,” Levi hissed, trying to hide his smile. 

 

“Kink shame-r.... The shame!” Eren laughing, moaning when the movement hurt his arm. Levi glared and hefted the boy and managed to get him into the car with relatively no screaming or crying.

 

Levi got into the front seat and sent a quick text to Erwin that he would be going straight home and not back to his place. 

 

Levi adjusted his mirror with some difficulty, as his side had began to ache, and looked at Eren who had passed out in the back of the car. The boys head rested against the seat and his mouth was slightly open, giving him a restful expression despite the knot in his eyebrows from the pain. 

 

“Now, why didn’t they eat you when they had the chance? What was stopping them?” Levi question echo in the empty car, before the engine cut the noise short.

 

* * *

 

 

Eren awoke in an odd state of semi-pain and semi-comfortability. He sat up, his eyes trying to focus and only coming out with a blurry image. 

 

“Oi, kid lay back down I haven’t fixed your arm yet.”

 

Eren looked to see Levi sitting on the floor next to him, he was laying on a large couch and Levi was sitting on some laid out plastic sheets. Eren looked down to see he, as well, was laying on the same material. 

 

“Scared to get dead kid everywhere?” Eren joked and Levi looked up. His gray eyes bored into Eren and Eren blinked, and tried to redirect his attention. His eyes traveled down the man and he realized Levi wasn’t wearing a shirt. His stomach was bandaged up, but from what he could see Levi was all lithe muscle. With another pass of his eyes Eren blushed as he noticed that the punk seated before him had nipple piercings. They were simple silver bars that rested against his skin and looked pretty good. 

 

“What never seen a piercing before?” Levi asked and Eren blinked before pushing back his hair so Levi could see his ear. It was pierced twice with three Helixs at the top.

 

“I’ve never seen a nipple piercing in real life though, I’m sure people ask if it hurt most of the time.”

 

“Actually most of the time they are going down on me so they don’t say shit,” Levi smirked and Eren’s eyes widened before looking off to the side, blushing hard. 

 

“Well, that doesn’t come as a surprise, but rather then talk about the holes we wanted in our bodies, can we fix the ones I don’t want first?” Eren asked and Levi got a serious look on his face again. 

 

“It bit you pretty bad, I was hoping you’d stay passed out for this.”

 

“I’ve had worse,” Eren smiled and watched as Levi grabbed a pair of scissors and cut off the remains of his shirt. Eren flinched as the cold air hit him and he looked down at his arm. Eren narrowed his eyes and tried to bit back a moan of disapproval. The arm was bruised around the bite marks, which had ripped pretty deep into the skin, some parts had torn while other kept the shape of teeth. Levi swore under his breath and Eren smiled. 

 

“Seriously, I’m not acting tough, I’ve had worse by far, one time my neighbors dog got ahold of me when I was a kid and I still have scars on my leg. Don’t worry. If you want I can clean it up, you don't have too-”

 

“Shut the fuck up brat. The fact that you think this is no big deal and barely reacted to it tells me you really need help in the sanity department. It’s okay to fucking feel pain,” Levi said and went to work cleaning out the wound with antiseptic and cutting the tattered edges. 

 

“What am I gonna do? Sob about how much it hurts? Tears and complaints do nothing.”

 

“They show you’re alive,” Levi corrected quietly and Eren blinked. Eren sat back and looked at Levi critically. 

 

“You’re a lot more then what meets the eye, you know that?” Eren mumbled. Levi looked up and his stoney face seemed to soften slightly. 

 

“You too brat. What gave you the brilliant idea to jump on that things back?”

 

“It was the best option at the time. It was going to eat us!”

 

“ You’re insane kid,” Levi laughed and threaded a sterile needle with doctors grade thread. 

 

“You patch up your friends often?” Eren laughed.

 

“Who said we were friends?” Levi deadpanned and Eren choked.

 

“No, I didn’t mean it like-”

 

“Shit, shut up kid, I was joking, you want to be friends, we’ll be friends,” Levi hissed putting the needle through and pulling tight. 

 

Eren winced but internally he felt a strange warmth, he was happy the Levi wasn’t rejecting him completely. He wanted to get to know this strange short Goth kid. 

 

“So, you have superpowers,” Eren said and Levi blinked slowly and looked up at him.

 

“Not superpowers, no.”

 

“So the swirly black lines of death weren’t you?”

 

“They were, but it’s not a super power...” Levi trailed off to put in another stitch before looking back up “Le baiser de la mort, Death’s kiss. Cheesy, I know but it’s an old power. Normally the power to see the creatures and to fight them runs in families and familes have specific powers that reappear, I got my mothers gift. Though mine is a variant of l'étreinte de la mort, death embrace.” 

 

Eren blinked and Levi stilled and looked at him, “Would you like to see what it does?” 

 

Eren looked into Levi’s eyes and saw...passive nothingness, there was nothing there, it was almost like this power was something he was, rather then used. It scared Eren, but his curiosity won out and he breathed, 

“Yes.”

 

Levi reached out, and rested both hands on Eren’s face and his eyes went dark, the sterling grey becoming storm clouds and Eren felt a cold sensation. It seeped from the hands and seemed to travel down. Green eyes flicked down to see the black marking appearing and his skin greying under the touch and some primal part of him rebelled. 

 

Eren pulled away and felt his heart speed up, having been getting slower and slower under Levi’s touch. Eren pressed a hand to his chest and moved his back to sink further into the couch, of all the disturbing feelings this one was pretty far up there.

 

“You...it felt like death...” Eren whispered, not trying to be dramatic in the least. It had felt like the time he was dangling from his car, bleeding...dying. 

 

“It was. I steal the life a thing has.”

 

“But why is it called death’s kiss if you just have to touch them?” Eren asked and Levi moved forward, snaking a hand around Eren neck and brushing fingers down his nape.

 

“Because if I want them to truly die, it’s a kiss and not a touch.”

 

Eren almost whimpered, but before he could gather his wits Levi had leaned back, tied of the thread which had been dangling from his arm and slapped a patch over it. 

 

“That will do for now, if it gets infected go to the hospital.” 

 

With that the man got up and walked out of the room to wash his hands. 

 

Eren sat there in shock, this was turning out to be some urban fantasy bullshit, and looked to the side of the room. The place was very neat, mostly grays, whites and softer blacks. There wren’t any pictures on the walls which made everything look bare in the off-white lighting. Eren winced and stood up walking to the bookshelf, trying to calm his nerves with something mundane. 

 

He had known these people were different, he had known they fought monsters but powers? Like his? The fuck was happening to his life. He leaned his good shoulder against the shelf and breathed out a sigh, his eyes flicked alone the spines and he stopped. 

 

“Le petit price,” Eren said out loud and smiled faintly, he didn’t know French but he knew The little Prince, his mother had read it to him when he was much younger. He took out the familiar book in an unfamiliar language and sighed, remembering a time when his life wasn’t so complicated as this. 

 

“‘Toutes les grandes personnes ont d' abord été des enfants ... mais seulement quelques-uns d'entre eux se en souviennent.’ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince,” Came a perfectly accented French tone behind him. Eren turned to see Levi regarding him as he dried his hands on a towel. 

 

“What does that mean?” Eren asked blinking. 

 

“‘All grown-ups were once children’-”

 

“‘But only few of them remember it’,” Eren finished, smiling. He remembered some of the book, a few quotes and something about a rose. 

 

“So you’re not completely illiterate,” Levi smirked and Eren smiled dropped as he muttered ‘assfuck’ under his breath. 

 

“Do you speak French?” Eren asked.

 

“No, that was another language,” Levi deadpanned. 

 

“Don’t be a fuck,” Eren said and Levi chuckled. 

 

“I am French-Japanese, but more French then anything and actually French was my first language.”

 

“Wow, my mom and dad are German, and I think I have some Turkish from my dads side, so I can proficiently speak German that because of the duel languages in the house. But French seems nicer then that, mother tongue is always harsh,” Eren said, suddenly itching for a smoke. 

 

“Interesting. You’re a surprising kid you know that?” Levi asked, eyes flicking down to the slight twitch in Eren’s hand.

 

“Yeah, seems like I’m full of surprises,” Eren then squinted a sighed before rubbing a hand over his face, “Fuck I sound like I’m in a bad movie.”

 

“Does that make me the handsome spy?” Levi joked and Eren blanched, 

 

“So you are human! You can tell jokes!”

 

“Fuck off,” Levi said before sitting on the couch and motioning for Eren to do the same. Without a word the man reached into his side table and pulled out a black box, he proffered it to Eren and greens eyes widened as he realized they were completely black cigarettes. 

 

“Goth to the core, I see,” Eren chuckled and Levi made a face.

 

“Take a damn cigarette.”

 

Eren did and Levi after him, the dark hair moved softly, capturing Eren’s attention, as he reached into the drawer and pull out a lighter and motioning for Eren to lean in. Eren did and Levi lit the smoke. Eren has closed his eyes and his lashes formed dark slashes covering gem green, a tanned face with a few nicks and bruises but lively and boyishly handsome. And Levi noticed the scars, pale and barely visible but there around his eyes were lines, they made him look slightly manic but then the lighter flicked off and the scars disappeared. 

 

Eren retreated and Levi lit his cigarette, glancing as the boy inhaled and looked off to the side. 

 

“So you gonna tell me why you were sleeping in a fucking park or? Because I know you weren’t there for a morning walk,” Levi asked and Eren went rigid, his eyes narrowing before he blew smoke out his nose, reminding Levi of an angry bull in cartoons. 

 

“I got in a fight with my old man, nothing big. Just didn’t want to be around the guy,” Erne said leaning into the back of the couch. 

 

“He mean?” Levi asked, feeling like there was more under the surface, no one dragged on a cigarette like that unless they were pissed or depressed or both.

 

“Likes to hurt you where it counts.”

 

“I know people like that, I don’t fucking like them.”

 

“Amen,” Eren hissed and rolled his neck before finding the ashtray next to him and flicking off his ashes. 

 

“Why didn’t you stay at a friends?”

 

“I was going to but we said some things that I’m sure we both regret and I though sleeping in the park was a great option...” Eren shook his head and Levi looked at him. 

 

“You a masochist, it’s freezing at night, I’m surprised you aren’t dead.”

 

“Who isn’t a slight masochist? The freezing cold and wet socks really gets me off you know?”

 

“You have issues.”

 

“You have no clue,” Eren said and leaned back. 

 

“You seem normal kid, I wouldn’t knock the normal life,” Levi sighed and Eren felt unreasonably angry at that. 

 

“I’m not what you assume I am so don’t throw stones and live in glass houses,” Eren hissed and Levi smirked. 

 

“How are you different from every other kid I’ve saved?” Eren didn’t like the tone, he didn’t like anything about it and suddenly he felt that now sickeningly familiar power well up and cloud his mind.

 

“I’m not really,” Eren said and smiled, “I’m just a hell of a lot more fucked up,” and with those words he put his cigarette out on his arm.

 

Levi’s eyes widened marginally and Eren dumped the butt in the ashtray before asking, “Can I grab a shower? I’m still pretty chilled.”

 

“Yeah. I have some spare clothes that may fit, it’s pouring outside now so just stay here,” Levi said, voice impassive and eyes still on the newest burn marking on Eren’s arm. The kid seemed to have something to prove, or maybe he really was simply insane. 

 

“Thanks Levi,” Eren murmured and walked to where he had seen the bathroom.

 

The moment Eren has locked the door he slid down it and rubbed his arms, goosebumps raised as he shivered. He sat there until a sharp knock sounded and he opened the door to reveal Levi holding a folded pair of pants and a shirt draped over it. 

 

“It’ll be big because it was my fathers old stuff or mine, and nothing that’s mine will fit you at all” Levi said and handed the clothes to the shivering boy. 

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Don’t die while you’re in there,” Levi said before walking away and Eren shut the door.

 

* * *

 

 

Eren walked out of the shower feeling refreshed but also tired, his eyes drooped and his arm ached where he had changed the bandage. He stumbled into the living room, his muscles screaming for rest or sleep or a coma. 

 

Levi was sitting in a chair by the couch and Eren looked at him and realized he was dressed in a soft grey T-shirt and black sweat pants. His hair partially veiled his eyes and the dark haired man chuckled at something the book. 

 

Eren’s heart stuttered when he heard the sound, and he blinked putting a hand to his chest.

 

_Oh no. Eren Jaeger you will no like a crazy pseudo-Goth killer! No matter how handsome he is. No matter how sparkly his gray eyes are or how much you want to touch his soft looking dark hair-fuck! No. Shit. I’m doomed._

 

Eren walked up and leaned over to see another French book. He blinked and rested a hand on the back of the chair, so as not to startle the dark haired older teen. 

 

“You can have the bed or the couch, take your pick,” Levi said closing the book and looking at Eren through dark lashes. 

 

“Couch, but you’re more considerate then I thought,” Eren laughed and Levi stood.

 

“You got hurt because I wasn’t fast enough, I feel slight guilt, but don’t test me you shit.”

 

Eren laughed as Levi puled blankets and a pillow from a cabinet and handed them over totired arms. 

 

“Thanks for everything Levi.”

 

“No problem brat,” Levi said and walked out the room and flicked off the light, leaving Eren in the soft glow of the lamp by the couch. 

 

Eren sent a few text messages, explain he was safe and such and turned off his phone before laying out on the couch and looking up at the ceiling. 

 

_Repeat after me Jaeger, you will not fall in love with a handsome crazy Goth, you will not!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super late update, life gets in the way but I hope everyone has had great holidays and like the chapter. I'm going to add more Eren and Levi interaction (oh la la) and action! As always I hope I got almost all the spelling errors and grammar mistakes but if not please tell me ha. I'm going to do some art (plus general concept art for this AU) for this chapter probably but you know me, I'm god awful with these things. The update time is going to get more drawn out sadly, more like two or three weeks between updates, I will try my hardest to be good but it's a hard year at school (help). Anyway, hope it's good.


	7. Pancakes and Confessions

Eren rolled onto his back and, for the second time in as many days, he wondered where he was. A pale white ceiling stared back at him before he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and remembered where he was in a flash. 

 

With a yelp he tossed himself off the couch and only managed to get his legs tangled in the blankets that had been given to him. The loose black shirt and sweat pants helped to further tangle him until he was kicking a leg and cursing under his breath. 

 

There was a soft snort and Eren looked up to see Levi draping himself against a wall, his grey eyes softened by the steam from the tea he had raised to his lips. He seemed to be enjoying the boys antics. 

 

“Ah, good morning!” Eren said finally pulling his legs from the blankets and standing awkwardly. 

 

“It’s almost noon, no really morning anymore.”

 

“Oh... _oh shit,_ we have school!” Eren yelled and Levi rolled his eyes.

 

“No, we don’t. I called us in sick with the flu, that’s why you were out yesterday too, so don’t blow your cover kid,” Levi said and turned with a beckoning motion. 

 

“I didn’t know what you liked for breakfast so I made pancakes and hoped that was good. They are in the microwave under a plastic top, grab as many as you like.” Levi walked away, busing himself with putting away a few dishes on the counter as Eren grabbed two pancakes and poured himself a glass of orange juice with quick, steady hands. 

 

“Sit at the bar, I want to talk to you,” Levi ordered and Eren sat, his green eyes locking on the back of Levi’s hair, it’s undercut neat and trimmed as ever.   


“So...what do you want to talk about?” Eren asked while grabbing a fork and nibbling on his pancake. 

 

“Did you die?” Levi asked turning and pinning Eren with his gaze. 

 

“What? No? I’m pretty sure I’m alive.”

 

“No. I know you said you came close to death but, did you die? Did your heart ever stop?” Levi asked again and Eren blinked, something about the way Levi said it made him feel unnerved and suddenly something in him was screaming.

_Lie, don’t tell him, Lie, lie, lie_!

 

“No, I came close but I didn’t die,” Eren said and the tension in the room suddenly dissipated. 

 

Eren felt a sickening sensation that if he had told the truth, that his heart had in fact stopped on the way to the hospital, that this conversation would have taken an extremelybad turn. 

 

“Good, well let me explain more about titans,” Levi said before leaning on his elbows in front of Eren with dark look. 

 

“What we saw are called Aberrant Titans, they don’t act like the normal Titans, they are more aggressive have strange abilities and are smarter then the average ones. Normal Titans are either corporeal , meaning they are the dead risen again, or incorporeal, the spirits people have in homes, ghost, ghouls, specters and such. Then you have Titans that take human form, we don’t know much about these only that they are very few and tend to be more durable,” Levi took a sip out of his glass and looked Eren in the eyes, “And then there are people like us. People who have the power of sight and an ability that was passed down through family or someone like you, who is exposed to near death and comes back from that experience with an ability to see or hear the Titans.”

 

“But the Titans are corporeal! I mean most I’ve seen, how can other people miss that?”

 

“They don’t, but they see them as homeless people, or runaways, or seemingly bad miscreants on the street. Their subconscious tells them they are in danger so their forward mind finds the most logical image to impose on these creatures. But they will still kill a normal human if they get their hands on one. Which is why the people with the ability to see the Titans, are also tasked with stopping them.”

 

Eren leaned back and blinked a few times before he blinked and asked, 

“Can people like me develop a power? Like yours?” 

 

Levi smirked slightly and raised an eyebrow, “No, of course not. You have to have the power from birth, it’s born and not achieved and no one has come into a power so late in life. Don’t worry, you won’t fucking get a strange power. What do you think this is? A fantasy novel?”

 

Eren blinked and tried not to burst into tears or peels of laughter, _he had a fucking power he was pretty sure developed after his head was smashed in and he died._

 

“Well... that’s good,” Eren said, shifting his arm and feeling the new wound ache. Levi must have caught his grimace because he sighed and walked around the counter. 

 

“They only grazed me but they got a good chunk out of you, I still think your insane.”

 

“Well I’m happy you think I’m consistent. But I’m okay really-” Eren was cut off by his ringtone. A loud braying noise filled the room and Levi gave him a look and Eren blinked as he remembered he hadn’t silenced his ringtone and Jean’s was a stupid horse noise. 

 

“Sorry,” Eren said and then answered the call. 

 

“Hello?”

 

“ _Hello_! That’s all you have to say for yourself Jaeger?! Where are you? Oh my god, I thought you were dead! I thought I would have to say goodbye to you at your funeral and wear a black suit and GOD DAMN IT EREN YOU KNOW I’M AN UGLY CRYER WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?” Jean scream-sobbed into the phone and Eren held it away from his ear cringing. 

 

“I’m sorry Jean, I really am I just needed to get away.”

 

“Eren, getting away is going on a trip. It’s taking a break from school. It’s watching porn and crying in your basement! It is not running into the night and not contact your family for two fucking days!” Jean yelled into the phone againand Eren winced, even Levi who could no doubt hear Jean because of how loud he was yelling cocked an eyebrow. 

 

“I- I am so ready to fucking pound your head in Eren, I... motherfucker,” Jean hissed and suddenly he hear the phone being taken away from Jean and another voice coming on the line. 

 

“Eren,” Came a cold voice and Eren winced again. 

 

“Hello, Mikasa.”

 

“I am not mad. Just come home safe and we can talk when you are ready,” Mikasa said voice wavering, obviously she had driven over in her study period to talk to Jean. Eren breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to confront his sister just now. 

 

“We have all been having problems and I just want you to know we all love you, and will always love you and understand you. Don’t run away again, please.” With that she hung up and Eren was left looking at his phone in shock and sadness. He had never heard her voice sound like that. 

 

“They seem like they care about you,” Levi said, looking over the mug clutched in his hand. 

 

“They do, they really do,” Eren mumbled and went and rinsed his dishes in the sink before lowering them into the washer. Levi watched with a wry smile. 

 

Eren had noticed how the house was perfectly spotless and seemed to shine like it was from a t.v. commercial on windex. He looked back at Levi who was reaching up to put away a wayward mug, his shirt rode up to expose a sliver of stomach and Eren gulped and looked away. There was no way he wanted to fuck with this short dude with piercings who stared at him like he would rip out his trachea.

 

“How old are you Eren?” Levi asked and Eren looked up from his task.

 

“I’m sixteen.”

 

“No shit, I thought you were much older,” Levi huffed looking to the side. 

 

“Most people do, I can pass for twenty one on a good day, and eighteen on a bad one. And you? You’re nineteen right?”

 

“I’m a senior in highschool kid, I’m seventeen, I’ll be eighteen in december.”

 

“No way...” Eren gasped and without thinking walked over and looked down on Levi who was forced to look up slightly. 

 

“You look so old?” Eren muttered and Levi raised an eyebrow before stomping on his foot. 

 

“In a good way!” Eren yelped and Levi only looked at him with a passive face. 

 

“I should get you home, your Dad must be worried,” Levi said and Eren’s face paled but he smiled forcefully. 

 

“Must be.”

 

“Let’s go then, I washed your clothes and they are folded on the table in the living room.”

Eren nodded and walked out of the room, feeling his chest pound, he didn’t want to go home, he didn’t want to go back to that man. Yet he felt like he had overstayed his welcome and he felt anxious at that. He truly wanted to get to know this handsome, albeit crazy, person. Eren changed quickly, throwing his shirt on and running shaking finger through his hair. 

 

“I’m ready!” Eren said, an Levi looked up before folding his newspaper and standing.

 

“Good,” He said and brushed past Eren, steel eyes once again hard and remote. Eren flicked his eyes toward the paper and caught the bold headline, ‘Murders Strike Again’ before he was whisked from the house.

 

* * *

 

 

The ride was a mostly silent one and the one time Eren had reached for the radio, Cotton Eye Joe had blared from the speakers and he had nearly broken the consul trying to shut the thing up. Levi had simply looked at him with a blank expression that made Eren want to sink into the car. 

 

When Levi rolled up to the house Eren noticed all the lights were off, and he breathed a sigh of relief so profound his bones shook. 

 

“You look shitty,” Levi said and Eren blinked before forcing another fake smile.

 

“I’m just tired is all, long week.”

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, at school, come to the club room during your last free period, me and Erwin will be waiting,”Levi said dark eyes making Eren’s heart beat faster. 

 

“Sure,” Eren said and jumped out, “Thanks for helping me out, you’re a good person. No matter how scary you look!” Before Levi could respond Eren slammed the door and ran to the house, going to the front. 

 

Levi drove off when he saw Eren was safely on his porch and trying to pull out his key. Eren watched him go with a melancholy expression before he tried to find his key again and realized he had left it in the house when he had run to Jean’s. With a sigh he reached into the flower pot to find the spare but his finger grasped air and nothing else. 

 

“Are you fucking with me?” Eren grimaced as he realized his dad had been in a spiteful mood and locked him out of his house entirely. 

 

With a glare and heavy feet Eren walked around the back, tugging on the back laundry room door to try to get in, with no avail. He would have just broken a window, or pulled out the handle, but him damaging the house meant his dad damaging him. 

 

Eren sighed and stepped back looking up at his own room, the window he could see clearly from here and stopped. He cast his gaze to the old oak tree and smiled, he always left his window unlocked so it didn’t stick, if he could get to his window, which was positioned over the back porch overhang, he could get inside and grab his stuff. 

 

Eren jogged to the tree and began to the climb the old knotted bark, hands finding purchase on holes and branches until he was level with the overhanging roof. He looked at the five foot gap and gauged his ability to jump the gap. He lowered his brows and prepared to leap when someone called, 

 

“Eren! What are you _doing?_!” 

 

Eren looked down just as he jumped and he knew this was gonna be bad, he hit the edge of the roof at chest level and smashed down,only to flip and fall the twelve feet to the ground and land on his back. 

 

It was the most graceless fall he had ever seen or been a part of. His whole body ached and blood dribbled from the side of his mouth where he bit his lip on the fall.   


“Oh fuck!” Jean said and Eren looked up, his friend had obviously come to check on him and had hear the noise from around back. 

 

“H-hi...” Eren groaned, his face feeling warm as he blushed. 

 

“Are you trying to break into your own house?” Jean question running over before he stopped short.

 

“You’re okay...” He said and Eren sat up brushing off his shirt and back.

 

“It’s only twelve feet dude,” Eren said and Jean shook his head. 

 

“No, your bruises, your face, it’s perfectly fine...” Jean said and Eren paled before standing and backing up. 

 

“It’s make up, I’m using make up!”

 

“No, you’re not, I’ve seen you in make up before, and that is your normal skin,” Jean accused and Eren backed up further.

 

“I meant before, my blood and bruises,” Eren said, realizing he was drowning and that his lie was so stupid even a fucking plant could see through it. 

 

“My friend was bleeding in my arms. I think I know real blood and pain when I see it, Eren. Tell me what’s going on, Damn it!” Jean yelled and Eren blinked before rubbing his face. 

 

“This has been such a long week,” Eren mumbled before his legs gave out and he fell to the ground on his knees and brought his hands up to his face. 

 

“I don’t know Jean, I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know anything!” Eren growled and suddenly felt an arm on his shoulder. 

 

“It’s okay, you’re okay, don’t worry... Look you don’t have to tell me, just don’t get upset like this,” Jean said, his normal caustic demeanor changing when he saw how much his friend was hurting. 

 

“Jean, so much has happened, I just want to sleep forever...I’m so tired,” Eren said, tears beginning to well in his eyes as he leaned into Jean for support.

 

“Hey, it’ll be okay, just... you can tell me, you know?”

 

“Okay, Jean, since my accident I’ve had strange abilities to move things with my thoughts, and the other night at the party a monster attacked me and as it turns out the ‘gang’ that we heard about are actually monster fighters or some shit. So I came home got beat up by my father, slept in the park, was picked up by Levi and we were attacked by monsters that are like zombie-ghost-human things. I got a chunk taken out of me and then I stayed over at Levi’s place and I said all this crazy shit and I may have been insane for a while and then this morning he made me pancakes, and I wanted to slam him onto the table and fuck him so bad but I can’t because I'm pretty sure he would kill me in cold blood if he knew about my powers. Then I come home and look the door is locked cuz my fathered is a FUCKING PSYCHO and so I tried to get up the tree and I ended up falling and I hate my fucking life!” Eren yelled and Jean stared at him eyes wide. 

 

“When did you start doing drugs Eren?” He asked and Eren threw his hands up. 

 

“You wanted the truth, there ya go!”

 

“No seriously, that was one bad trip...”

 

“Wasn’t a trip genius, true story,” Eren said and looked at him. 

 

“I know you think it’s true but-” Eren cut him off by yanking off his shirt and showing him the bloody bandages. Jean stopped and Eren pulled up the edge so he could see the teeth marks Levi hadn’t sewn up.

“Those are... teeth marks?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“You have powers?”

 

“Yep,” Eren said and grabbed a stone, placing it in his hand be focused on it and it wobbled before picking itself up and flying across the garden. 

 

“.... OH MY GOD!” Jean shrieked.

 

“Calm down!” Eren yelled and Jean blinked, clamping a hand over his mouth. Jean’s eyes were wide and his shoulders shook before he composed himself and said, 

 

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Eren... you’re...YOU HAVE SUPER POWERS?” Jean shrieked and Eren felt all the tension leave him. He had actually though Jean was going to act like he was a monster but no, of course not. Eren felt stupid for even thinking Jean would do something like that to him. 

 

“Okay so if that story is true, then we gotta figure this out fast! Ca you fly? Are you bullet proof? An Alien? Can you read peoples minds? What am I thinking?” Jean said, taking the leadership role and running with it. 

 

“No Jean it doesn’t work that way. If I bleed I can move things with my mind and since I have an open wound I can always use it,” Eren said and Jean stood up looking at him critically.

 

“Why didn’t you use it to open the door to the house?”

 

“I...Didn’t think?” Eren mumbled standing up and Jean helping him before Jean whipped out his phone and dialed.

 

“Who are you calling?” Eren asked and Jean looked over mouthing Armin.

 

“NO!” Eren yelled and grabbed at Jean who pushed him back. Eren was worried his sister was still with the blond haired boy and he couldn’t let her know any of this. 

 

“Armin,Eren’s superman...”

 

Eren blinked at Jean who paused for a long moment before pushing the phone against his chest and looking at Eren with an evil look. 

 

“You told Armin but not me?” He asked in a deadly voice. 

 

“I...” Eren backed up as Jean moved closer, annoyance on his face. 

 

“We could have totally used that power for pranking the baseball team, come on dude!”

 

“Jean, you will not use my power for evil.”

 

“Fuck that, we are pranking EVERYONE...”Jean hissed and Eren rolled his eyes at his friend. Then Eren realized what Jean was doing; he was downplaying the entire thing. Green eyes flashed to Jean’s hand which shook slightly and then to eyes that seemed a little too wet. Eren felt a tightening in his chest, Jean was just as freaked out as he was but he was trying to keep it together for Eren’s sake. 

 

“Eren, let’s go to my place. My parents aren’t home and won’t be for a few days and I’ll lend you some clothes, god knows I have a better style than you.”

 

Eren chuckled before lowering his head and pressing it against Jean’s shoulder.

 

“Oh lord, do not get sappy on me, please,” Jean moaned and grabbed the back of Eren’s shirt, lifting him before smirking. 

 

“You need to cut your hair, you look like a rag doll.”

 

Eren looked up and smiled, his dark circled eyes and bloody mouth forgotten as he grinned at his friend. He had done something good in a past life to deserve Jean. 

 

“Yeah,” Eren said before getting up his legs wavered but Jean stretched a hand over his shoulders and they both walked from the yard, Eren limping slightly due to his fall. 

 

“Eren, who were you with?” Jean asked and Eren made a face, 

“The Corporeal.”

 

“The fucking midget i was ready to kill?” Jean hissed and Eren blinked before laughing.

“That’s the one and only, dear lord in heaven you are one of a kind my friend.”

 

“Well lets get home, get you cleaned up and then we can talk about this whole thing. Armin’s on his way,” Jean opened up the car door for Eren and the boy sat down, relaxing into the seat. 

 

“Life’s fucking insane,” Eren muttered before placing his forehead on the window and closing his eyes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry i know I'm late again. I swear to god school is trying to end me, but i shall prevail. This might be shorter than normal but it's a pure set up chapter for the main arc story to occur and it's all up hill action and shippy goodness from here. 
> 
> I edited this chapter super, super fast so if there are mistakes point them out and I will fix them ASAP. 
> 
> Also a huge thanks to OokamiXkitsune who left the most detailed comment I've ever seen and brought up some super good points that really made me put everything in a organized plan [better than the one I had before], I promise that everything shall be revealed in time. Eren is kinda an emotional wreck in this chapter but he soon gets over that and becomes the badass we all know he is. 
> 
> Also next chapter more of the powers come into light and more characters introduced and there is action.


	8. Shadows of a Past and Future

Eren stared at the wall as chaos erupted around him. 

 

“Let’s just walk in and be like ‘yo, we are his friends and you can’t fuck with us!’” Jean snarled.

 

“We need to be non-aggressive, that way if we need to take them down we have the element of surprise,” Armin tried to reason, pushing his long hair over his shoulder with a huff. 

 

Eren had felt sick all day, even when Armin had decided to come to meet them after school and Jean had met him after every class. 

 

Last night burned brightly in Eren’s mind and he thought back.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Eren, it’s okay!” Armin said and grabbed his friends hand as Eren tried to slam his hand down on the table again._

 

_Jean had brought the boy home and told him to go take a shower. Eren had gone, only to come tearing out a few minutes later with a crazed look in his eyes._

 

_“It’s not okay. I’m changing!” Eren snarled and pulled back his over grown hair from his face. Armin blinked and Jean’s eyebrows came down in worry. Eren’s skin was the same tan as always, from years of sports and going to the beach in the summer. His green eyes were the same brilliant shade. Yet things- important things- had changed. His ears had sharpened into a point, it would have been gradual, but hidden by his hair. His cheeks had hollowed slightly and his face was losing his boyishness fast. Faster than normal, almost as if the excess power was eating fat and leaving hard lines and a man, not a boy, behind. Eren looked slightly manic and Armin swore he could see an almost feral gold flashing in his eyes._

 

_“Eren, we can figure this out...” Armin said, grabbing his friends hand in his own._

 

_“I-”_

 

_“Let’s ask the midget,” Jean said and Eren looked up in fear._

 

_“We can’t. We can’t tell those people.”_

 

_“Why not? I thought they could help us...” Armin said._

 

_“Levi asked me if I had died, and the expression on his face made me think he would kill me before I had a chance to run if I told him the truth... I don’t know what my heart stopping for a few minutes can even mean to him but-”_

_“If he hurts you I’ll murder him,” Jean snarled . Armin, on the other hand, was silent, a worming suspicion had taken root in his head and as he looked at his friend he felt sick._

 

_“Okay, we’ll go ask for information and we won’t give them any. We, you, might need them Eren,” Armin said and Eren gulped before nodding and stepping back from the table, his eyes looking empty and tired._

 

* * *

 

 

“Oi, brat,” Came a voice from the door which had just opened and Jean jumped about three feet before shrieking, 

“Yo, we are his friends and you can’t fuck with us.”

 

Armin placed a hand on his face and watched as Levi stared Jean down with a stoney glare. 

 

“I told them,” Eren whispered. His face drawn and Jean blinked. He had never heard Eren speak like that, well he had, after he had found his dead mother. 

 

“I assumed you would tell some people,” Levi said before waving them inside. Armin and Jean walked in but Eren hung outside the door. Armin stopped and held out a hand but Eren didn’t notice, he was staring at Levi, like he had been since the beginning. But now something lit his eyes, more dangerous. 

 

Armin looked around and his eyes alighted on Erwin, who had been sitting silently in the corner. 

 

“You,” Armin snarled and Eren shook himself, coming out of his daze to look at Jean in confusion. 

 

“Ah, it’s the angry blond,” Erwin muttered and Armin looked offended. 

 

“You annoying little man,” Armin hissed and Jean mumbled ‘nothing about that man is _little_ ’ under his breath. 

 

“You know him?” Eren asked and Armin turned his long hair falling from his pony tail. 

 

“Yeah he’s the pedantic who-”

 

“This is not the time,” Levi cut in, his eyes focused on Erwin and Armin. The blond boy nodded and walked back to Eren’s side. 

 

“Now, we have talked it over and I have a few questions,” Armin’s hands pushed hair from his eyes, eyes that now had a hard glint that both Eren and Jean knew too well. 

 

“Eren can see Titans. Which are risen dead in simple terms. Now why would you want someone who has no workable skills with these creatures helping you, unless...” Armin trailed off and smiled, “That these people are rarer than you let on. I’m guessing among your group only Levi can see the true forms.”

 

Eren whipped his head to look at Levi, who’s face had gone stoney. Erwin had raised an impressive eyebrow. 

 

“So, you _need_ Eren. In which case, we have negotiations,” Armin’s smile got wider and JEan was about to cut in. 

 

“Armin we didn’t talk about-” Eren cut Jean off with a hand. There was no use. Armin was in evil genius, sell your soul to the devil for a bag of chips mode.

 

“First, you don’t order him around. He comes to meeting when and how he likes, no more of this ‘meet us on pain of certain death’ or he will simply stop coming. Or better, Eren could easily go to the school board and talk about a misuse of funds for a certain club. Eren could even walk down to the police station and say that a cult in the form of an innocent club at school is torturing him. Either way, you all have trouble. Second, you won’t hurt Eren. Levi seems like the intimidating type, if a little pre-teen goth. I want your word that you won’t hurt Eren. And third, I want Eren to stay with Levi until this whole thing is settled.”

 

“What?” Eren yelped. Armin smiled but his face dropped when he saw the look on Eren’s face. 

 

“Armin come here a minute, Jean talk to them,” Eren hissed as he grabbed Armin’s arm and yanked him outside the door. 

 

“What Eren?” Armin asked and Eren snarled, 

 

“What do you mean I have to stay with him. I have a home.”

 

“This will ensure you don’t get beaten.”

 

Eren recoiled, his eyes glistening in the light of the hallway. He didn’t want to deal with this. He could make his own decisions about his life. 

 

“I’ll hang around his place but I want to be able to go home, my dad’s out most of the time.”

 

Armin looked like he was going to resist but shook his head and nodded. 

 

“Fine, just... be careful,” Armin walked back into the room but Eren didn’t follow.

 

His legs wouldn't move and his face, the slight scars especially, felt warm. His vision clouded and he had a faint sense of vertigo. Eren dropped to one knee and looked down the hallway. Lights dimmed because of the closing hours. He could feel someone watching him. His sense of vertigo clear suddenly and he stood. Eyes searched the halls for the person but to no avail. 

 

Eren walked back into the room and saw Armin arguing with Erwin as Jean hid behind a table to get away from Levi who was glaring at him with steely eyes. 

 

“I’m going home,” Eren said and Levi looked up. 

 

“I’ll drive you.”

 

Eren froze. Looking at Levi, who was suddenly taking the role of protector rather seriously. 

 

Eren walked out, leaving Jean in the capable hands of Armin. The brunet was tired, he wanted to break into his house, take an aspirin and sleep for five hours. He adjusted the beanie he was wearing and waited for Levi who was shrugging on a black sweater as he came out the door.

 

“I can walk,” Eren said. 

 

“What a big boy you are then,” Levi said sarcastically and walked past him. 

 

“What I meant is that you don’t have to drive me.”

 

Levi glanced back at him, “I offered to drive your dumb ass, so stop bitching and lets go.”

 

Eren shook his head in annoyance but followed Levi who lead the way with quick, graceful steps.

 

Eren felt more tired now then he had just a few moment ago. He wanted to go home. 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren was cold. More than cold actually, freezing would be about the right word. His eyes were crusty and his back ached. With a momentous effort Eren pushed himself into a sitting position and blinked, his eyes blurring for a few moments before light entered and he could see. 

 

He lay in the middle of a heavily wooded forrest, trees arching above him like monoliths from an ancient time. His breath ghosted in front of him as he realized that snow lay heavy on the ground. It was scenic in almost every way, the trees crusted in simmering ice and snow and the ground a soft bed mostly undisturbed but for where he lay. The sky was a lurid purple, the only-for-a-moment sky when day is turning into night and the sky is caught in the colds color palette.

 

The only problem with this beatific place was he had no idea how he had gotten here, or even where here was. Which seemed to be becoming a habit of his. 

 

The place was eerily quiet, save for the sound of distant cracking and groaning, like trees breaking under the weight of a new snow. It seemed that there were no animals here, not birds or mice, hare nor creature of any kind. It seemed out of place, in an hapless and asymmetric way, to the beauty that would be normally complimented by all sorts of woodland creatures.  

 

“What the-” Eren spoke, his voice traveling as he stood and turned in place. The jeans he had on were drenched, blue fabric turning almost black, and his hoodie soaked through. Eren put a shaking hand to his head and tried to remember what brought him here. 

 

He had been getting a ride home from Levi. He had walked into his house and... what next? He didn’t know.

 

He had woken up here, in this strange wood. 

 

“Is this a prank?” He muttered, eyes flicking around and feet shuffling forward. Coming up with something logical at this point was moot, the situation was too strange, so reality T.V. prank or his friends driving him all the way to Aspen seemed like practical guessed. Though why Jean would do this to him now was stupid.

 

His feet were slowly becoming numb, the boots he had on, which were only boots in the loose term of the word, stood out against the snow in blatant mockery of their surroundings, neon pink belonged here as much as he did.

 

With a shudder Eren walked away from his small clearing and past the first row of trees, pressing a hand into one to steady himself. The tree seem to sway slightly as if accommodating his weight, but Eren knew that couldn’t be the case, these trees were enormous probably older than his great-great grandfather. 

 

“Hello?” He finally called out, cheeks burning at the though of someone finding him like this. Alone in the woods, wandering and classically calling out like a horror movie protagonist. His eyes kept flicking to the trees in case Freddy or Jason decided to give him a surprise visit, though thankfully the iconic movie monsters didn’t pop out from behind any trees. 

 

“This is insane...” Eren mumbled, blowing into his hands and continuing to mutter to himself “Maybe I’m dead and this is heaven... no, hell, I would defiantly be going to hell... why is hell cold?” 

 

His feet shambled as he walked in a direction that seemed like out of the forrest but truly he couldn’t tell. Day was becoming night, not that it had ever been truly day, and he was beginning to feel the true nip of the cold. 

 

“Oh my god, this is such a weird way to die... re-die?” Eren said to himself, hoping that maybe by voicing the strangeness of the situation, it would go away.

 

He was now at a complete loss as to what to do, reaching in his pocket he pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. Cracked and shattered, reveling the green and fulminated code board behind it. His numb and now clumsy fingers pressed at the home button, hoping that the gods had smiled on him and it wasn't completely useless. 

 

There was no such luck. The screen remained a cracked black reminder that he was in a strange woods all by himself and besides, would he have even gotten a signal in this place? 

 

Probably not.

 

“Hello? Is anyone around?” Eren called again, grimacing at how his voice broke the silence of the woods. He began to trot, hoping that the more vigorous movement would allow his body to warm up more, at this rate hypothermia was a worry in the back of his mind. 

 

“Fuck it!” He huffed under his breath and strode faster through the trees, trying to remember oddly shaped ones as markers so he could retrace his steps. 

 

The forest wasn’t endless, though it was probably large. Eren hung on to the hope that, this was, in fact, a stupid prank. Although the notion was slowly beginning to slip away as he realized that he might be in serious danger. 

 

“This is really, really not possible,” Eren hissed under his breath, looking behind him as he walked. 

 

With a suddenness that made Eren yelp his foot was caught on something and he went tumbling down, hands getting scraped by ice. 

 

Eren muttered under his breath breath and turned to look at what had tripped him only to see it had been covered in snow. 

 

Morbidly the first though that crossed his mind was that it had been a body and he was about to be in for a shock but he push aside such meaningless thoughts and crawled forwards. His hands felt like lumps of rock at this point and he shivered as his brushed snow from the unidentifiable lump. 

 

It was a post, square and sturdy, though at some point in it’s life it had splintered and broken at the bottom. The further Eren brushed up the more it dawned on him this was probably a marker. 

 

His fingers caught on something jutting out from the main pole and he brushed his hand along it to see writing on a pointer like board. 

 

“Old Creek Woods?” Eren murmured aloud. The name was familiar but at the same time not at all.

 

With his other hand he brushed the other side and saw another piece of wood pointing in the opposite direction. 

 

“Sina...” His voice seemed shakier this time and he looked in the direction the sign would have pointed him if it had still been standing. Sina was a city, near his home town, near were everything had gone wrong. 

 

With his hands now tucked under his armpits Eren stood and walked in the direction he believed was out, at least maybe Sina would be less dark and cold. 

 

After only what seemed like an hour Eren was beginning to loose hope he would ever find a way out of this godforsaken woods. He had been walking and walking with not hide nor hair of anything other than snow, trees and more snow. Eren had always been a loud, personable boy but now he wished he had not been, maybe it would allow him to have the coping skills of handling new silent environments as well as enduring the never ending calm.

 

Eren closed his eyes and rested his arm against a tree, his lips were blue by now and his shivering had stopped. The radius of sight he had was greatly reduced due to the fact his eyelashes had frozen together. 

 

“Just a few more yards, come on now,” his breath was harsh and he stumbled forward, before he could really get anywhere, he tripped. 

 

His hands hit the grass with a solid thud, and he winced. He looked at the ground he was now resting on and blinked. 

 

The cold addled thing that was his brain reminded him that he had been walking on snow, so why was grass under her palms. 

 

“How in the world...” Eren said and looked up only to gasp in surprise. 

 

It looked as if a great knife had sliced the forrest, on one side lay ice winter, and on the other a tropical forrest with climbing creepers and flowers in bloom. Eren gaped at his surroundings, the trees where just as tall, the same tree really but now they were filled with life and the decor of summer and spring. 

 

It was something that the boy couldn’t wrap his head around. Eren looked back, his eyes seeing into the dark woods encased in ice and then turned back to see the newly discovered oasis of warmth.

 

But then another thing caught his eye. On the edge of his vision, in the snow covered forest he saw a scene he thought he would never see again. 

 

There was a road. And an overturned car. It was mangled and so was the brown haired boy behind the drivers seat. The cold was forgotten as Eren walked closer.

 

Mikasa, Jean, Armin or any of the paramedics that had been there, weren’t in this image. Only Eren, his face cut by the glass and chest mangled by the crash. Eren knelt down and watched. The boy was barely breathing and Eren watched as the past version of himself locked eyes with something behind him. 

 

Eren whirled around, brown hair obscuring his face and looked up. He had forgotten on that night that he had seen a boy standing beyond the wreck. And now He could see a figure clearly. But it wasn’t a boy. 

 

It was a shadow, something woven from the gaps between stars and the shadows in dark alleys. It moved closer and Eren felt dread like never before, not when the Titan had sunken it’s teeth into his arm and not even when his mother had died. This was something all encompassing. All consuming. He slid down in the snow between the car and the shade and watched as it passed right by him and toward his past self. 

 

“Tell it no,” Shouted a voice suddenly and Eren looked up. Levi, eyes darkly shaded and black hair blowing in a singular breeze. He stood were Eren remembered the boy, who had of course, been Levi. A Levi with shorter hair and different style but still Levi. 

 

“You will die. Tell it no,” Levi called, his voice not excited but commanding. Eren turned just as the shade reached for his body and he whispered, 

“No.”

 

“Louder,” Levi’s voice again.

 

“No.”

 

“Louder!”

 

“NO!” Eren screamed and the shade withdrew like it had been burnt. That instant Eren’s body jerked and his eyes glowed brightly as the seat belt killing him snapped open by some strange power and he fell. 

 

Eren felt himself ripped away from the scene, turning to see Levi staring at him, but to his past self, it looked as if Levi was staring off into the distance. 

 

“Come back for me,” Levi said and the Eren felt himself fall away from the glittering snow covered world. 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren awoke with a gasp. His arms flailing as he pushed himself up in bed. He was in his room. But what he had just witnessed was anything but a playful dream. That was the past, the true past. 

 

But why had Levi been there? How had he not recognized Eren? What was that white snowy forest? 

 

Eren crouched over. His head aching. He wanted answers today. But all he had ended up with was more questions and an aching desire to get to know the black haired boy better. 

 

‘ _I’m not going to make it out alive’_ Eren though, and while he knew he was telekinetic he should have been named a seer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sos ososososoosososososs sorrry for taking this long. Dear god in heaven. I could give you a huge list of excuses but honestly Junior year just ate my time and Finals are coming up fast and I didn't want to make you guys wait even more so I'm posting this chapter which is short but is packed with connecting info that will come into play.   
> I do have a plan and there's a reason I'm writing it this way. This chapters flow is slightly different then the last few for a reason and that'll come into play later. Once again thank you so much for putting up with me and I swear the Ereri will kick up in the coming chapters so look forward to it. It's all action and romance from here guys.
> 
> As always there will be some errors grammatically speaking, if they really bother you point them out and I will be happy to fix them. 
> 
> Also thank you for the kudos and comments, I'm a very awkward person so I sometimes don't respond personally but I always read them and use them to help me write and it makes me obscenely happy. You guys are awesome.


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